Hayley Raso has now been honoured by the city of Portland in its community awards for her charitable work off the field this season.
We covered Raso's touching relationship with a hospitalised fan, eight-year-old Rohen, earlier in the season. Raso organised a special event at one of the matches for Rohen, in addition to making multiple trips to visit the boy in hospital.
The "strong connection" she formed with the fan - leading to the boy colloquially calling her a 'mate' in her last visit, led to her inclusion in Portland's 2019 Stand Together Community MVP Awards.
The Portland website gushed about her previous voluntary experience.
"The depth of Hayley Raso’s resume matched that of most previous Stand Together Community MVPs," the club said.
Thank you @PTStandTogether ❤️🤝 https://t.co/hUCsIGpPQv
— Hayley Raso (@HayleyRaso) September 9, 2019
"She volunteered with Habitat for Humanity during the community outreach arm’s annual Stand Together Week. She spent time with those involved with Girls on the Run, a non-profit organization in the Portland metro area, and got involved with the Pixie Project in aiding the adoption process for local kittens."
NWSL fans have been mesmerised by Raso on and off the field, with the Matildas forward scoring four goals in eight starts and registering impressive passing and tackling statistics throughout the season.
happy birthday to @HayleyRaso - one of the most inspirational women in sports. i wish i could tell her all that she has taught me, but i’ll just simply say thank you. the world is better with her in it 🙌🏽
— Mariah Keener (@MariahKeener) September 5, 2019
(one day i’ll stop posting this picture but today is totally not that day) pic.twitter.com/enlVuu3lge
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