Grassroots rugby has always been about more than the game. It’s about showing up for your teammates, your club, and your community. Sometimes that leads to showing up for something far bigger than the sport itself.

Rosie’s Ruck is exactly that.

Before it became a tournament, a fundraiser, or a growing movement, it started with a young leader who is already leaving her mark on the game and the community around it.

Parker Vitagliano-Hill, who plays rugby for Mystic River Youth Rugby, is the driving force behind Rosie’s Ruck. She was recently named one of the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation’s 15 Under 30 Award recipients. The honor recognizes emerging leaders who exemplify the very best of rugby through leadership, service, and impact.

Rosie’s Ruck is a perfect example of her passion in action.

The tournament is a youth-led Rugby 7s tournament founded by 12-year-old Parker, inspired by her sister Alana, and named after her sister’s service dog. Rosie’s Ruck brings together rugby teams, families, local businesses, and community partners, including organizations like the Epilepsy Foundation of New England, to raise awareness and funds for seizure alert dog training for children.

Scheduled for May 31, 2026, at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, Massachusetts, the event is designed to be more than just a day of rugby. It’s a competitive event layered with the added purpose of a community-driven fundraiser built around connection, education, and support.

Behind the matches, the scores, and the festival atmosphere, there’s a deeply personal story driving it all.

Parker created Rosie’s Ruck after seeing firsthand the life changing impact of her younger sister Alana’s seizure alert dog, Rosie. These highly trained dogs can detect seizures before they happen which gives families critical time to respond and keep their children safe.

Unfortunately, access comes at a significant cost. The dogs often cost between $10,000-$25,000 which puts them out of reach for many families who need them most. The mission of Rosie’s Ruck is to help more children gain access to these life-saving supports while building awareness, connection, and advocacy around epilepsy.

Where It All Started

The origin story doesn’t begin on a pitch. It started with a simple question.

Parker asked her mom why she had missed a weekend of her hockey games. The answer? Her Mother was busy working on a grant for the Epilepsy Foundation of New England.

Within minutes of learning what a grant was, Parker decided that she wanted to apply for one herself. She didn’t hesitate and jumped right in working with her teachers, writing the proposal, and presenting in front of hundreds of people.

Parker’s drive to make a difference led to the creation of a rugby tournament designed to help children with epilepsy gain access to seizure alert dogs. Parker built the concept, wrote the proposal, presented it, and secured the funding.

This has led to becoming further involved in outreach efforts, developing partnerships and planning the event. Anyone out in Clubland that has ever been involved in organizing a rugby tournament, knows exactly the work it takes to pull one off. 

Now, imagine your 12-year old self doing it. Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe the efforts by Parker. An inquisitive moment turned a deeply personal experience into something that now reaches far beyond one family.

Over the past year, Parker has worked hard to connect with teams, prepare fundraising strategies, and develop core messaging all while experiencing family challenges. Her steadfast determination and consistency makes her a powerful advocate with the unwavering goal to help as many kids as possible. 

The Difference One Dog Can Make

For Parker’s family, epilepsy wasn’t just a diagnosis. It was a source of constant and exhausting uncertainty. 

When is the next seizure coming?
Will we catch it in time?
Will she be safe?

Rosie changed that, providing critical assistance during an uncertain time. Seizure alert dogs, like Rosie, can detect seizures before they happen. That early warning creates a window for family and providers to respond, act, and protect. It’s not just about safety. It’s about peace of mind.

Once you have lived with that kind of support, you realize how life changing it is and how unfair it is that most families cannot access it. 

Rosie’s Ruck is about closing that gap.

Why Rugby?

Out of all the ways to raise awareness and money for this cause, why rugby?

It helps that rugby already runs in the family. Parker and Alana both play and their Father coaches. Beyond that, the sport itself provides the perfect platform while aligning well with the mission of Rosie’s Ruck.

The sport is built on values like teamwork, resilience, and a deep-rooted sense of community. Rugby people show up for each other. That’s just what they do.

When Parker chose rugby as the vehicle for this fundraiser, it was intentional. The response has been exactly what we come to expect from the rugby community. The rugby community supports each other on and off of the pitch. 

Clubs, referees, and organizations across New England have stepped in to support the event including MLR’s New England Free Jacks and WER’s Boston Banshees. A community aligned from the grassroots to the elite levels. 

When rugby rallies, it rallies hard. The community says “with you” and means it. 

More Than Match Day

Even at the grassroots level, tournaments have become about more than just what happens on the pitch. The rugby is the carrot that draws in the teams and players, but what happens off of the field  is what adds to the real depth. 

Rosie’s Ruck plans to check all of the boxes when it comes to the play on the field. A competitive environment with men’s and women’s sides challenging each other for bragging rights. All while providing fast paced action and entertainment for fans. 

That is but only one part of the story being told. Rosie’s Ruck is a community event through and through with vendors, raffles, and something that you don’t get at most rugby tournaments. 

Educational opportunities. 

Players and fans can learn about epilepsy and what to do when faced with a seizure situation. Parker wants attendees to have a great day, but also feel connected, informed and part of something meaningful. 

What Success Looks Like, Now and in the Future

Of course, fundraising matters. Every dollar raised moves another family closer to safety, independence, and a better quality of life. However, Rosie’s Ruck was never meant to be defined by numbers alone.

Success comes in many forms. 

• Raising awareness.
• Providing education.
• Someone learning what to do when faced with someone seizing.
• A child with epilepsy feeling seen and supported.
• Building a strong community.

The true impact of Rosie’s Ruck is reflected in these moments. Those moments provide fuel for the future.

From the beginning, Parker’s vision is bigger than a single one-off event. Rosie’s Ruck is built to grow well into the future with more teams, more regions, and more families supported. There are also plans to expand beyond 7s and bring even more of the rugby community into the mission.

At its core, Rosie’s Ruck is about turning one family’s experience into something that helps many others.

How to Get Involved

Grassroots rugby is a vehicle for so many things that go well beyond the playing field. That is why it is the beating heart of our sport. Rugby draws us in, but it’s the community and other stuff that keeps us coming back for more. 

Rosie’s Ruck is proof of that. Rugby isn’t just about tries and trophies. It’s about changing lives for the better. 

If there’s one thing rugby people understand, it’s that showing up matters.

Whether you’re a player, coach, fan, or just someone who believes in what this game can do there’s a place for you at Rosie’s Ruck. 

To learn more, register a team, or donate follow the links below.

👉 Team Registration: https://tinyurl.com/RosiesRuck2025Registration
👉 Donate: https://tinyurl.com/rosiesruck