Homegrown Lacrosse in Minnesota received funding from US Lacrosse via Coach Across America.
Kids in the Game, a non-profit with a similar mission, helps provide children from low-income families access to after-school youth sports programs by finding grant donors to offset expenses. Grants
Above: Duke’s Chris Hipps (13) and Brendan Fowler pose for a post-game photo with their fans of PPP Lax.
Right: Preston- Laurent, a former St. Bonaventure goalie, spearheads US Lacrosse’s diversity initiatives.
generally are $30 per child, payable to the hosting sports program.
Preston-Laurent, who joined US Lacrosse last October with the specific purpose of cultivating such relationships and broadening participation in the predominantly white sport, was not deterred by the fact that Kids in the Game had never before funded a lacrosse program.
“It sure seemed like another natural
partnership opportunity for US Lacrosse,” she said. PPP Lax in North Carolina also seemed like the right beneficiary. Established in 2008 by Marc Wimbush, the program had received a US Lacrosse equipment grant several years ago, but it still faces numerous challenges — field space, transportation limitations and financial resources among them.
Through Kids in the Game and US Lacrosse, PPP Lax was matched with a benefactor located in Oregon. With 30 active players in the program, approximately $900 in assistance was
A Publication of US Lacrosse
earmarked for PPP’s Winston Salem- based U11 team this spring. “Every bit helps and makes a difference,” said Wimbush, who also solicits college fraternities and church organizations for funding. “We appreciate that US Lacrosse put forth the effort to connect us with Kids in the Game.” Partnerships with Coach Across America and Kids in the Game are just two examples of how Preston-Laurent is spearheading the organization’s diversity and inclusion
efforts and
utilizing structures that reside outside the walls of US Lacrosse.
“Collaborating with other organizations that are on parallel tracks makes sense,” Preston-Laurent said. “Since we’re targeting the same underrepresented groups, we’re trying to find ways to work together with a shared mission.” Other partnerships formed by US Lacrosse since Preston-Laurent joined
the organization include the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) All-Star Classic and the Sankofa Lacrosse Alliance exhibition last fall. Both events provided mainstream visibility for diversity in lacrosse, which could serve as a catalyst for increased participation among minorities. “There is an undeniable importance for students of color to see people like themselves participate in lacrosse and experience a high level of success in the sport,” Preston-Laurent said. Preston-Laurent started playing lacrosse in sixth grade and starred as a goalie at Westminster (Md.) High. She went on to play at St. Bonaventure, where she earned Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2008. From there, she had coaching stints as an assistant at Endicott and Emerson, as the head coach at Sweet Briar and as the director of New England Select.
“I’m excited that I can now help open doors for others,” Preston-Laurent said. US Lacrosse has several diversity and inclusion initiatives in development. These include a hardship US Lacrosse membership plan, formation of the Urban Lacrosse Alliance, the Lax for All program. The national governing body recently released the “Best Practices Guidebook and Tool Kit” (free at
uslacrosse.org/inclusion) to help organizations assess their level of inclusivity (with a 13-question quiz) and implement practical and inexpensive measures to integrate their base. “A team is not at its best with 25 defenders or 25 attackers on one roster. You need a diverse group of players that fit the various roles,” Preston-Laurent said. “Why should you run your organization any differently? “Ultimately, we hope that lacrosse programs will reflect the demographic of their communities. We’re trying to move the needle.” LM
June 2014 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 61
©ST. BONAVENTURE (EPL); ©HOMEGROWN LACROSSE
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