September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and on Saturday, September 5th, the Philadelphia Union will host their annual Kick Childhood Cancer match at Subaru Park, honoring the Fearless 43 – local children and families in the Delaware Valley who’ve been impacted by cancer diagnoses.
Saturday will be a night to remember for everyone in attendance, from the Fearless 43 and their families, to fans, players, and staff alike, but for the Union, KCC is more than one match or one month of recognition.
The hope to ‘Kick’ childhood cancer is woven into the culture of the club. Through year-long, steadfast support through unique individual experiences, community programming, and recognition in partnership with local grassroots nonprofit Kisses for Kyle, KCC has become a pillar of the Union’s values, and that’ll be on full display on the riverfront come matchday.
Fearless 43
At the time of Fearless 43’s inception, approximately 43 children were diagnosed with cancer every day. The Union recognizes that statistic through a class of brave children selected each year by Sharon Snyder, Executive Director of Kisses for Kyle.
“The Fearless 43 are our warriors who are either currently facing a childhood cancer diagnosis, who have completed treatment, or are surviving off of treatment. These are children who have suffered relapses and are currently facing it for another time, and they are a representation of far too many children and families impacted by many different types of cancer in children,” Snyder said.
Professionally, Snyder is a full-time champion for families facing childhood cancer. Most importantly, she’s Kyle Snyder’s mom.
In 1998, Kyle was diagnosed with Leukemia, just three weeks before his second birthday. He passed away eight months later. In 2001, Sharon Snyder established Kisses for Kyle, with the goal of honoring Kyle’s memory by providing assistance to those going through similar experiences.
2026 is Kisses for Kyle’s 25th year of operation, and Kyle’s legacy lives vibrantly in the joy, reprieve, and monetary and emotional support that the nonprofit brings to local families as they navigate the challenges that cancer brings about.
How the partnership began
Since its establishment, Kisses for Kyle’s impact has been profound, in part thanks to local partners like the Philadelphia Union.
The nonprofit has been around longer than the club has, so how did a soccer team get involved in the mission?
Greg Imming was an original employee of the Philadelphia Union when the club started playing as an Major League Soccer expansion team in 2010. He’s now the current Vice President of Group & Inside Sales and Ticket Operations.
In 2015, Imming reached out to Kisses for Kyle to learn more about their mission and how the Union could help fundraise. After spending time with Snyder and learning about her family’s story, the pair created a plan to invite families touched by cancer to attend a match.
While prepping for that visit to the stadium, Snyder was encouraged to bring a child onto the field before the match to commence the action by kicking the ball. She nominated Nico Cassabria for the first kick, who was, at the time, battling Neuroblastoma.
Nerves aplenty, Nico was hesitant at first, Snyder remembers sharply to this day. But emboldened by the encouragement of the crowd and the welcoming Philadelphia Union fanfare surrounding him, he stepped up for the opening strike.
“When he kicked the ball, the crowd went wild – cheering, a standing ovation. Then, when were walking off the field, a coach went up to him and said, ‘Would you please sign my scarf?’” Snyder recalled.
“And then everybody, all the Union employees, including concessions workers, guards, whoever was there, started walking up to him, asking for his autograph, giving him high fives, congratulating him.”
Snyder and Imming were ‘taken’ by the moment. There, the relationship between Kisses for Kyle and the Philadelphia Union blossomed. Soon after, they became an official nonprofit partner of the Union.
Since then, The Union and Kisses for Kyle’s partnership has only grown in size and impact. In 2019, the Fearless 43 was created.
“I consider my role to be a connector of good people to good people. And I think this is the epitome of how Kisses for Kyle and the Philadelphia Union work together. It literally is connecting so many good people to good people, and it's helping our families,” Snyder remarked.
“But I think it's also helping our community. Whoever is impacted, whoever is involved, whoever gets to have those special moments...those feelings don't go away.”
KCC 2026 -- Shooting Stars
This week, the Union announced the eighth class of Fearless 43 kids.
This year’s theme is Stars, and fittingly so.
The Philadelphia Union’s Community Relations team led by Erica Scheer, Nadya Gibson, and Sydney Dzenutis kicked off the week with a movie night for the group at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex, hosting a special showing of Air Bud World Pup.
Next, the Fearless 43 will be the stars of the show on matchday, experiencing a schedule of special activities at the stadium, including a family tailgate, half time spotlight on the pitch, and an opportunity to spend time with the entire team following the match.
The stadium will be decked out in gold, and when the players step onto the pitch, they’ll sport special edition jerseys adorned by numbers featuring the signatures of each child.
The Sons of Ben are in on the planning as well. In the anticipatory moments before the match begins, fans in the River End will hoist a brand new TIFO – and it’s one of their most special yet.
It's been an especially difficult year for the Union's KCC community -- three Forever Fearless children have lost their lives to cancer complications.
When a child connected with Kisses for Kyle passes away, Snyder names a star in their memory, then sends the family a telescope so they can locate it in and watch it shine.
On matchday, thos Forever Fearless children will be honored through a depiction of their initials as constellations among the night sky, including Kyle Snyder, Nico Cassabria, Lincoln Hanson, Yasmine Kermon, and Rasahn Verdell.
“Having the union celebrate our children as shooting stars..it's healing. It's healing for all of our families,” Snyder said.
“Yes, we help our families whose children are facing a cancer diagnosis and have been on and off treatment, but it's also very important for us to continue to help our bereaved families, and for them to know and understand their family remains extremely important to us. It's my life. I know that firsthand. I know how important it is that our children remain important.”
Forever Fearless
Maddie Harris
Lucy McCabe
Jaxson Butkus
Nico Cassabria
Yasmine Kermon
Lincoln Hanson
Nathan Urbina
Danica Mulholland
Zacchaeus Sephes
Kellan Ford
Kyle Snyder
“The organization has always embraced my Kyle. For me, I'm his mom, and it's always been important for me to move him forward with me and the baby steps along the way. He's front and center in my world. He always has been since the day he was born. In our community, to see that he's loved and cared for and thought of, mostly through people who have never had the opportunity to meet him, it's a lifesaver for me. It helps me every day, and it's a very important part of our nonprofit organization from the time it was created, to this day, and moving forward for however long Kisses for Kyle exists,” Snyder said.
Ways to get involved
Philadelphia Union will recognize Childhood Cancer Awareness Month on Kick Childhood Cancer night on Saturday, September 5th during their matchday against CF Montreal at Subaru Park. Tickets to the match are available here, but there are ways to join the mission throughout the entire year. For more information on how to get involved, please visit these websites:
