As we approach the Holiday Season, the scramble to find the perfect gift begins. Yet, many of us may be in a position where there just aren’t many things we need or want. We have developed an alternative gift campaign to give in someone’s honor a gift that will keep on giving. Maybe the “perfect gift” will be knowing that someone else has been helped during the holidays. A little goes a long way.

We realize you are asked by many charities for contributions at the end of the year and we hope you will include Lacrosse the Nations in those that you support.  Each of the projects listed to the left provide a powerful way to help teach, inspire and motivate the needy kids in Lacrosse the Nations programs.

Once you make a donation through a specific alternative gift, you will receive an email with a card to pass along as a gift this holiday season so that your son, daughter, mother, friend or coach will know that you have helped a child in need in their honor.

Please consider making a Lacrosse the Nations Alternate Gift part of your Holiday gift giving.

How to purchase alternative gifts:

1. Visit our site through causecast
2. Select the gifts you would like to donate
3. When you are checking out please include your email address so that we can send you the alternative gift cards!
4. We will email you the alternative gift cards for you to print out and give as gifts this holiday season.

questions? please contact us!

csparkes@lacrossethenations.org

Yours in Lacrosse,

Lacrosse the Nations

I like to learn more about the values that we learn from our coaches. I like to share with the women from LtN and it makes me happy that they help with the program because it is really fun for us!

When: Sunday, October 16, 2011Time: 12 – 3pm

Where: 5101 Swickard Woods Blvd New Albany, OH 43054

Who: Youth and High School Laxers and Families

Cost: $25 suggested minimum donation to Lacrosse the Nations – all                     participants will receive an event T-shirt!

How:  Visit Resolute Lacrosse to register now!

using the water bottle as a level

This contradiction forced us to think about our mission, our goals and how they aligned with our practices. An easy solution came to mind. We now have LtN nalgenes that everyone on the trip used. Large containers of filtered water are available at every grocery store and convenient store. The latest trip that went down bought the large containers of water and filled up the nalgenes during the day. The containers of water are also refilled and reused. Now, when we go down on trips, we are doing our best to not add to the problem.

Stepping into the warm thick air in the passenger pick up area at the Managua airport, I quickly searched the crowds for people wearing the ‘Lacrosse the Nations’ shirts who would be waiting for us upon arrival. My eyes were quickly drawn not to any shirts, but instead to the two huge smiles of Dave Campbell and Hannah Hennessy. The sparkle and joy in these ‘LTN’ group leaders’ smiles as they eagerly awaited our arrival was a perfect entry into our days ahead in Nicaragua. Those same joyful smiles led us through the next five days and allowed each of us to fully experience the positive impact that ‘LTN’ is making in Nicaragua.

Our visit to Colegio Cristiano La Esperenza (“School of Hope”) in La Chureca (the city trash dump) was my first chance to work with children in Nicaragua. As an ESL teacher, I navigate language barriers everyday and find ways to communicate without words. This skill took on a new meaning at The School of Hope when the children began talking to me and then just smiled. Big smiles. I easily gained their trust and affection, and one girl showed me her backpack. I was curious to see what would be in there, since a backpack serves as a connection between school and home. I saw a random mix of objects in the bag that were likely to have been found in the dump. The only item in her backpack that was related to school was a slightly torn notebook with very little writing in it. When I pulled it out, she smiled, beaming with what could only be pride of being a student. Education is a gift in La Chureca, and it provides opportunities outside of the dump for the children. The program created by ‘LTN’ serves as an incentive for them to attend school and to work hard each day. It also teaches important life skills through sports and the power of teamwork.

We spent time at another school, Chiquilistagua, where the lacrosse program is just beginning. There was little equipment available when we were there, so the students shared sticks and used unripe oranges as balls. The children didn’t even notice they were using fruit in place of lacrosse balls and instead just smiled at each throw and each catch (especially when the oranges burst on the ground spraying juice all around!). By the second day working at this school, we were able to have a scrimmage for the older kids. To see these students dressed up in their uniforms (navy blue slacks or skirts, white dress shirts, black dress shoes) quickly transform into tough competitors was amazing. They played without inhibitions or worries about making a mistake, and instead played with full hearts and smiles. They played hard, celebrated their successes, and moved on quickly from defeat. It was wonderful to see. Even more powerful was watching the high school and college-aged boys in our ‘LTN’ group embrace this experience. They played with the students, and focused not on showing off their own skills but instead on highlighting the play of the students. They cheered on the students together and put all their own interests and backgrounds aside. These ‘LTN’ boys play on competing teams in Ohio, but were a true example of coming together and working toward a greater cause.

Meals with our group were always fun, and ultimately resulted in a lot of smiles all around the table. The experiences we had all been a part of throughout each day created a strong bond by dinner, and the result was a very comfortable and connected environment. Stories were shared, and memories were continually being made. Our last dinner in Nicaragua was full of smiles, but also many other emotions. We each gave our own personal thoughts on the experience- the power of the week was evident in everyone’s words. As I listened to the incredibly raw and rich words of the others, I suddenly realized the true impact that the time in Nicaragua would have on all our lives moving forward.

In the weeks since our trip, I have spent considerable time reflecting on the experience and the impact it has made in my life. I also have been processing how my life can continue to be lived in such a way that I will never forget the new friends I made, the children I taught, the work I did, the images I saw, and most importantly the powerful feeling I had the entire time in Nicaragua from connecting to others in such a real way. I strongly encourage other coaches and players to add ‘LTN’ to their programs in some form. Whether through a fundraiser, a stick drive, or spreading publicity, any efforts WILL make a difference. I also believe that spending time in Nicaragua and working directly with the children in these communities would be a valuable experience for everyone. It will stay with me forever.

Jose Luis is in the middle

I like the lacrosse program because I really enjoy playing with my classmates when we play with passes. I like the communication and the respect that we now have with each other.

Sometimes we feel bad when we lose but we know that other days we win. We win more if we play together as a “real team”.

I like to travel to Chiqulistagua, to Halle’s field where we can play there with my classmates because it’s really fun. At the field in Chiquilistagua we are able to spread out and play with more passes and theres a lot more space than we have here at school.

I like how our coaches are friendly, respectful and caring. Also, I like when other classmates step up as leaders because that way they learn to share with us.

Also, I like when members from LtN come to visit because they always share new things with us and they bring new ballans. They always bring us to the field to share with us.

Although I anticipated being saddened by the conditions in Nicaragua, it’s difficult to describe the shock and helplessness I felt when we first drove through La Chureca (“city dump”). To come up with the right words to explain the emotions I felt from the back seat of an air-conditioned van, and then experienced in interacting with the kids there, is extremely difficult. How could these conditions be tolerated in the 21st century when we live in such comfort only a few hours away by plane?

Prior to stopping by Colegio Cristiano La Esperenza (The School of Hope) in La Chureca for a lax class, our guide and LTN protector, Bismarck, took us for a short ride through the “dump.” This was a ride I will never forget. Though the streets of Managua outside the dump appeared distressed and poor, as we got closer to the dump site, the scenery rapidly changed for the worse. The conditions became more desperate, and trash increasingly piled up on the road. The road leading up to the dump was paved (barely) and lined with extremely small homes, mostly with corrugated metal bars on their windows. There were some businesses, a few protected by guards with guns.

High walls outlined the dump’s perimeter. As we entered the dump with a hard right turn, the trip became real and the road became potholed and littered with decaying trash and roaming animals (cows, chickens, pigs, goats and dogs). A few bulls walked the street, and sections on the edge of the road swelled with smoke as the trash beneath burned. The smell was strong and overwhelming. The scene was just like the image on the Lacrosse the Nations website of the lacrosse player standing in the middle of the dump with a fire rising behind him.

The entrance was a slow, downhill, pothole-covered road, crowded with garbage, animals and men. Stray dogs were looking for food in trash piles. At the bottom of the hill were several men, standing outside a building that looked as if it might be the headquarters for the dump. Totes of collected recycled material were located just off the road. I would later learn that these men were the second or third tier pickers who buy the separated recyclables from the people, likely below them in the social hierarchy of the dump, who collect the trash from the large piles within the dump.

Driving in further, we saw on the left side of the road homes made from recycled materials (mostly tin) with dirt floors no bigger than 10′ by 10′, and a working landfill with dump trucks and hundreds of blackbirds circling above on the right. What became most disturbing was that, as we approached the top of the dump, I saw entire families working the dump and sifting through the garbage. They looked at our van as if there had been many before it, there to simply observe their constant and real horror. Perhaps the most striking visual to me was a naked infant sleeping in the corner of a pull cart on wheels cushioned by a full tote of recycled material while the rest of the family continued to work the dump. This seemed to go on for a mile as hundreds of people worked the dump, all while the vulture-type black birds circled the area looking for their opportunity to dive for food. The smell was incredibly overwhelming in the heat.

As the van turned to head back to The School of Hope, I noticed that all of this was set to a backdrop of a beautiful lake (Lake Managua) and volcano shaped mountains on the other side. Without knowing the surrounding conditions, the geography looked like it would be fitting for a lavish resort. However, I later came to discover that Lake Managua has been the receptacle of waste for nearly 80 years and is the same lake in which the people of La Chureca wash their clothes, wash their bodies, fill their pots and fill their bottles.

As we headed to the school, we drove through the residential community where we were able to see up-close the homes of the families of the dump. Malnourished, naked children stood outside the homes which consisted of dirt floors, tin walls and roofs, and clotheslines. It was something I never expected to see. They were filthy dirty and had a blank stare of desperation I have never witnessed.

Given this brief entry into the dump community, I was surprised as to what happened next. The School of Hope was protected by high walls, barbed wire and a padlocked door. However, after only moments inside, little girls approached the women in our group, begging to be picked up and played with. The little girls gently pulled at their hair and touched their faces. Young boys pulled on my son (Jake) and the other high school boys in our group and dragged them to the other side of the small school to a makeshift soccer/lax field. DCam began playing a full-contact soccer/dodgeball game with the older boys. Tom Pendry and Mark Bergey put kids on their shoulders – both seemed to have kids stuck to them all week. There was joy in the face of every single kid and LTN visitor. It was surreal given what we had just seen. As I stood there, I realized that I was unsure of my role for the trip. I wasn’t a lax dude, and I was still reeling from the images of the drive in.

I quickly realized that I needed to put all my expectations and personal concerns aside, and engage. Whatever was happening outside the school walls was forgotten, and the next hour and a half was spent letting kids borrow our cameras, playing lax and swinging on swing sets. The kids smiled and laughed the entire time.

The rest of the week was spent alternating between teaching lacrosse to kids at La Chureca and kids at Chiquilistagua (aka “Chicki”), a school in a slightly nicer community but still one full of hardship and need for hope. The kids at Chicki were equally as excited to play lacrosse and showed the same joy as those from the dump. While we were there teaching the middle school classes the game, kids from first grade and up swarmed the LTN team throughout the three-plus hours, grabbing sticks and shouting “a mi” and “aqui” (“to me” and “here”) to each of us, begging to play catch.

Being in La Chureca, learning about its horrific legacy and seeing people live in fear, desolation and humiliation clearly had a significant effect on all of us. As we spent portions of the next five days with these kids, the lasting memory I will take is the smiles on the kids’ faces and their toughness to persist in what are the worst conditions imaginable.

I’ve pondered since Day 1 of our trip about what I could do to make a difference in these kids’ lives. Visiting for five days is not enough. LTN is having an impact and doing great things in the world of these children by encouraging education and building self-esteem through the sport of lacrosse. I hope Jake and I will both continue to work with LTN and make this cause an important part of our lives.

This past August I traveled to Nicaragua with a non-profit called Lacrosse the Nations. I was drawn to this organization by OSU Alumnus, Greg Bice. After landing in Nicaragua and going through Customs, we headed to our hotel located about thirty minutes from the airport. We stayed at a hotel called, Hotel Cisneros. After we got settled in at the hotel our group took off to Colegio Cristiano La Esperanza (School of Hope) located inside La Chureca, the city trash dump on the outskirts of the city of Managua. Our driver, Bismark gave us a tour of the city dump and then drove us to the school. Words cannot describe the poverty and the conditions the children and their families live in.

The program at the School of Hope consists of a physical education class and an after-school lacrosse program. It incorporates a life skills curriculum that uses the sport of lacrosse to teach good health and critical life skills.

The second day we went to another school, called Chiquilistagua who just started their program a couple of weeks before we got down there. This school had about 200 kids ranging from 1st to 8th grade. We did not have enough lacrosse sticks and balls to play with all of them, so we improvised by sharing sticks and using oranges from local orange trees as lacrosse balls. It is amazing how quickly these children picked up the fundamentals of the game. By the end of the day they were playing games and doing lacrosse drills similar to those our college players do.

On the last day of our trip our group traveled to Bismark’s house to help him work on his house. Bismark has helped LTN from the very beginning in Nicaragua. He gives so much back to his community and the children at La Chureca. It was neat to watch all the young kids start to follow his car when we drove to the School of Hope. I started to realize how much of an impact he has on these children and hope one day I will be able to live up to his stature. His goal in life is to provide his family with a larger house. We spent all morning at his house breaking up concrete and rocks for filler, digging trenches to lay sewage pipes , mixing dirt and cement to make mortar for cinderblocks, and, finally, bending rebar to help make support beams for when he pours the concrete.

This trip reminded me how fortunate it I am to have such amazing family and friends. The love and affection I felt from these children was amazing. The large smiles and loud laughter from these children is something I will never forget. These children enjoy life to the fullest and it doesn’t matter where they live or what conditions they live in, they enjoy playing the game of lacrosse.

Well, Cristian has always been a very well-behaved student, with very good manners. He is always respectful motivated. Jonathan, too, but in recent months, Jonathan has entered a stage of rebellion and did not want to participate in the lacrsose program or in his classes at school. In class last week, Jonathan led the class with Christian. They did very well- all children participated and had fun with them.
For me, this has been a huge accomplishment in this class, because in the past, most of the children do not want to participate when he is playing in fear that he may hurt them, but now they have confidence and can play with him.
Well done Jonathan and Christian!
Jonathan and Cristian loved their leadership roles. Jonathan enjoyed stepping up and being a leader because “This way we can teach more children how to communicate and play together”, says Jonathan.
“In each class they learn something new and then gain the confidence to communicate with us”, says Cristian.
Do you think I should be proud of these students?

Norman Velásquez.