Lacrosse Team Donates Equipment to Harlem Schools

After three weeks of collections, a caravan of cars, trucks and trailers traveled from Chatham to Harlem to drop off lacrosse equipment to two schools.

Students at the two Harlem schools, Frederick Douglas Academy and Sojourner Truth Middle School, have a new program, Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership (HLL). The program uses lacrosse to instill leadership and social responsibility in childrens' lives.

"Teamwork, communication, dedication, and perseverance are among the many qualities that are fostered" by lacrosse, according to HLL's website. The site goes on to say "the game’s ties to the university system and the recognized yet unfulfilled potential of lacrosse in low-income urban areas make lacrosse an optimal extracurricular activity for youth seeking opportunities outside of their community."

Chatham Main Construction donated a pick-up truck and trailer to transport the lacrosse goals to Harlem on March 27. David Gill, Trip Connors, Will Weichert, Chris Peters and Sam Carson of the Chatham High School boys lacrosse team, a pick-up truck and two SUVs carried the rest of the equipment.

The high school boys lacrosse team and the Chatham Lacrosse Club collected used lacrosse clothes and equipment for three weeks with collections at home lacrosse games and at private homes.

Sharon Gill, mother of Chatham High lacrosse player David Gill, said, "We collected all kinds of lacrosse equipment: shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, helmets, cleats, sticks, stick heads, stringing equipment, and clothing for the Harlem boys."

Chatham Lacrosse Club donated four used lacrosse goals and one box of lacrosse nets, among other equipment.

After the equipment was unloaded, the boys took some time to help out during a lacrosse practice at Sojourner Truth Middle School before they returned home to Chatham.