Long Island high schoolers' big hearts are helping athletes with disabilities play the sport by taking up funds to support inclusive initiatives.
"Lacrosse My Heart," a nonprofit spearheaded by six student lacrosse players from Roslyn High School in New York, most recently raised enough funds to support a wheelchair lacrosse team, the Long Island Hammerheads.
"My friends, my co-founders and I have been playing together since we were five years old and lacrosse has done so much for us, so we wanted to give back to the community by connecting through organizations like the Hammerheads or people who have not been exposed to lacrosse at a young age and show them the love of the sport," Zach Mashaal, co-founder of the organization, told "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Saturday.
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The nonprofit helps athletes like Joe Slaninka, a member of the Hammerheads team, who said community support makes all the difference.
"We are community-based programs. There are not a lot of great fundraising opportunities for us, so when organizations like Zach's come to us and say, ‘Hey, we want to help you out and do something,’ it's huge," Slaninka told "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy.
"It also kind of shows that we play lacrosse, [and] they play lacrosse, so it's the common thread."
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"Lacrosse My Heart," according to a site detailing the group's goals, says they are "dedicated to making lacrosse accessible to individuals of all abilities," and they raise "funds and awareness to support inclusive initiatives within the sport."
Among these, similar to the way they helped the Hammerheads, involves providing wheelchairs for players with physical disabilities.
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"[These high schoolers] really have restored our faith in the youth of America [by taking] on this initiative and think[ing] about people other than themselves, people in need… from the lacrosse community to the lacrosse community," said Mike Nelson, president of USA Lacrosse's Long Island chapter.
Those wishing to donate to the cause can head over to "Lacrosse My Heart" at lacrossemyheartworldwide.org.
