#USLAXCHAMPS Make-a-Wish,
Lacrosse Intersect at Summer Splash
Kevin and Bonnie Carroll wanted a way to connect with an ailing niece on Long Island. Area families wanted Kevin to coach their girls on a summer travel team. Their needs intersected on a stretch of Interstate 71 between Cincinnati and Columbus, as Lacrosse for Wishes of Southern Ohio debuted in the U14 division of the US Lacrosse Midwest Summer Splash June 17- 19. Lacrosse for Wishes battled teams from Illinois and Minnesota, perhaps with more motivation than most club programs. Lacrosse for Wishes took the field at Lebanon Sports Complex having already raised $12,500 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in honor of the Carrolls’ niece, Grace, who is regularly hospital bound due to her battle with epilepsy. She’s 5 years old. Make-A-Wish grants wishes, often special trips, to kids diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses or conditions. Grace got to experience a wish — a cruise, complete with a medical team alongside — in May 2015.
“Grace is always being tested to make sure her medications are in balance. Sometimes she’s attached to a machine and can’t move for a week,” Bonnie Carroll said. “Make-A-Wish gives people something to look forward to, to make them feel normal.”
48 LACROSSE MAGAZINE » September/october 2016 “We couldn’t really
participate [in Grace’s wish],” Kevin, the goalie coach for the Mason (Ohio) varsity and JV girls’ teams and a youth coach in the area, said. Searching for a way to give back in honor of those who’d treated Grace so well, Kevin recalled meeting Bill Guigno of Lacrosse Unlimited at LaxCon a few years ago. Guigno had founded Lacrosse for Wishes in Connecticut to help do something special for his son, according to Kevin Carroll. It eventually expanded to 10 teams raising $100,000 for Make- A-Wish in 2015. Kevin reached out to Guigno via LinkedIn to learn some of the ins and outs about running a team with such a fundraising endeavor as a major component. “A lot of families wanted to do a summer travel team but wanted me to coach. We saw the opportunity for a connection [with Make-A- Wish] and thought, ‘Let’s see what we can do,’” Kevin Carroll, who played at Albany and for Team Ireland, said. Carroll emailed members of the local lacrosse community about the idea. The response?
“I thought it was a great idea,” said Sara Grove, a goalie on Lacrosse for Wishes. “I love lacrosse, but to play for a cause feels so much better. It’s
heartwarming to be able to help someone.” Beginning with a September tryout, 20 girls raised funds for Make- A-Wish by means small and large, such as selling lemonade to soliciting friends and business associates of their parents. Grove participated in fundraisers
Haley Urgo
»U15 GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Megan Greco, A, Top Guns Black (N.Y.)
Kathleen Sullivan, A, Integrity 2019 (Md.)
Anna Winkeler, A, C2C Dallas (Texas)
Kira Accettella, M, Top Guns Black (N.Y.)
Katie Bellucci, M, Liberty (N.Y.)
Alexa Gentile, M, Yellow Jackets 2019 Blue (N.Y.)
Liana McDonnell, M, Liberty (N.Y.)
Haley Urgo, M, Integrity 2019 (Md.)
Christina Biscardi, D, Yellow Jackets 2019 Blue (N.Y.)
Danielle Carson, D, Yellow Jackets 2019 Blue (N.Y.)
Christina Flaherty, D, Yellow Jackets 2019 Blue (N.Y.)
Krissy Kowalski, G, Liberty (N.Y.)
Sportsmanship Award: Lacrosse Monkey (Minn.)
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©AJ MAST; © BRIAN BAYLESS
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