Roughriders 8th Grader, Brennan, has built himself an impressive resume. As a club lacrosse player with a passion for using sport for good, Brennan has taken sports philanthropy into his own hands from a young age.
LtN first heard from Brennan in the spring of 2018 when he requested to volunteer in our after-school programming with the Boys and Girls Club in Charlottesville. To summarize his experience, Brennan reflects:
“The women that I worked with [running LtN’s Charlottesville programs] were incredibly patient coaches, knowledgeable and professional as leaders of the volunteers. They showed me how to approach the very young students so that they could either fall for the sport of lacrosse in the same way that I have, or just have a fantastic time. I was given leadership opportunities to engage students, and frankly I got better with each chance that I was given.. I walked away from my experience a much better leader. I will 100% volunteer again this summer.”
While we were delighted to have Brennan as a volunteer who is enthusiastic and motivated about LtN’s mission, Brennan had more in mind. In the previous year, Brennan organized a lacrosse tournament to raise money and awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. We were honored to receive word from Brennan after his volunteer experience in Charlottesville that he and his teammates decided to include Lacrosse the Nations in their 2018 Lacrosse My Heart event.
As a sport-for-development organization, we aim to be a catalyst for young leaders. By employing something that we all know and love - lacrosse - players, coaches, and fans can impact lives and create momentum for larger community involvement in philanthropy. We’re thrilled that LtN’s programs can stand alongside Lacrosse My Heart’s charity partners, but the true honor is promoting a cause that motivates youth to step up and lead others to action. In Brennan’s reflection of his event which took place this October, he stated:
“I am amazed at how much every guy stepped up to make a difference raising money for important organizations like Lacrosse the Nations and playing their hardest to make the crowd feel excited about the effort. It was a fantastic day.”