ROMITO FOUNDATION FARM-TO-TABLE AT BALISTRERI VINEYARD — TO BENEFIT DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

On Friday, September 11, 2026, the Romito Foundation hosted its third annual Fabulous Fall Farm-to-Table Experience at Balistreri Vineyard. Richard Romito, our new assistant coach for the Colorado Rolling Rapids, and his son Dom kicked off the night by welcoming everyone — and what followed was one of the best foundation evenings our team has been a part of all year.

Welcome and atmosphere

Balistreri Vineyard had a pleasant atmosphere that felt well coordinated and structured from the moment we walked in. Flowers, pictures, wine bottles, and wine racks were displayed throughout the building and the garden tent area, which gave the whole place an inviting look. The event staff and winery workers were friendly and actively engaged in serving their guests — especially the Duchenne muscular dystrophy individuals and families in the room.

Wine bar and hors d'oeuvres

One of the first things we did once most attendees arrived was head to the wine bar, grab hors d'oeuvres, and hear about the winery's history. They make organic, natural orange wine and have been making their family wine since the early twentieth century. Personally, I was a little too busy eating the hors d'oeuvres to pay much attention to the history talk — but it was pretty cool that the vineyard has stayed family-run for that long.

VIP cellar tour

After we listened to the winery founder's daughter, Richard escorted our team to the wine cellar because we had VIP access. Richard gave us free tickets for the event, which was awesome. The VIP access was especially nice because we didn't have to deal with the crowd getting to the spot where everyone would meet up in the cellar. Taking a different path down to the cellar was a special treat in itself.

It was also cool to see all the barrels and get a glimpse of how wine is pressurized and preserved. Once everyone came downstairs, the winery founder's daughter and the founder talked a bit more about the wine.

Grapes, fermentation, and the garden tent

After the chitchat, Richard escorted us outside to go back up and see how the grapes are stored and fermented. It was cool seeing some of the plastic wrapping on the containers proofing.

By the time everyone got back to the main tent area, dinner was out. Everyone went back to their tables and grabbed food. The food was actually pretty good — I liked the steak and all the desserts. Meanwhile, Bjorn was sitting across from me, drinking two or three glasses of wine. I think our team has a wine connoisseur.

Richard on stage

An hour passed, and Richard came up to the stage to talk about how the Romito Foundation started and that this was their third year hosting the event. Personally, I think it's amazing that Richard can do what he does with three DMD sons. He's already done so much for our team, and we greatly appreciate his work and dedication over the past year.

The auction

The auction after Richard's talk was a really interesting experience. The whole time, I wanted to act like David Hester on Storage Wars and yell out “yuuup!” as a joke — but I didn't want to interrupt the auction.

What happened after the auction was my personal highlight of the event.

Dom's speech and highlight video

Dominic Romito got up on stage and gave a short speech about the event, of course — but also about what it means to be recognized, play as a power soccer athlete, and be part of the Colorado Rolling Rapids. It was also his brother Collin's birthday that night. Next, he showed the video he created on the big projection screen. The video included a slideshow of him and his two brothers, Kaleb and Collin, and other Duchenne individuals, along with a few of our team's best and most important power soccer goals from the past season.

That moment — Dom on stage on Collin's birthday, Dom, Kaleb, and Collin in the slideshow, our goals on the big screen — is why nights like this matter. Power soccer is not separate from the rest of life. It is part of the story the Romito Foundation is telling.

What I took away

One of the most prominent things I took from this event was that just because things don't pan out your way and you're stuck in a situation that will affect your life, it doesn't mean you are severed from God's plan. Jesus primarily works through the most unqualified-looking people to do His greatest tasks.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Thank you

Thank you to Richard, Dom, and the entire Romito Foundation for hosting a beautiful evening and for everything you do for Duchenne families — and for our team. Learn more or donate at theromitofoundation.org.

Partner recap on freedompowersoccer.org.