This article appears in the December edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.

As parents, we seek the best for our children, extending to them every opportunity to be happy, healthy and successful. Lacrosse can be a powerful vehicle to achieve these goals.

But many families can’t afford the initial cost of equipment, so access to the sport remains out of reach for many kids who would benefit from a transformative lacrosse experience. 

The US Lacrosse First Stick Program helps to minimize the financial burden for families by providing equipment grants to new leagues and teams, particularly in underserved areas.

Sisters Calyn and Casey Kelly played basketball at Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, Ga., just outside of Atlanta, where 98 percent of the population is African-American and 80 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Their coach, Kathleen Richey-Walton, spent years working to add a lacrosse program at the school. Her efforts paid off when Southwest DeKalb received a US Lacrosse First Stick Program grant, which allowed her to recruit the Kelly sisters and others to join the team.

“They didn’t have to make an initial investment,” Richey-Walton said. “They could just come on out, pick up a stick and start playing.”

Each Kelly sister went on to receive more than 50 college scholarship offers by the time they graduated. Calyn Kelly became the first player to represent DeKalb County in the Georgia High School Lacrosse All-Star Game. She played collegiately at Reinhardt and then Tusculum. Casey Kelly graduated from Lincoln Memorial this year after compiling a school-record 171 points in her four seasons at the school.

“I could sense that their parents believed this could be an opportunity for their daughters,” Richey-Walton said. “I benefitted greatly from playing lacrosse, and you never know how the next young person will benefit from that same opportunity. The Kelly sisters certainly did.”

US Lacrosse members and donors give children the opportunity to “pick up a stick and start playing.” Lacrosse opens doors to new friendships, lots of fun, dreams for the future and endless opportunity.

Each year, we receive more equipment grant applications from deserving programs than we have resources to fund. Your ongoing support of US Lacrosse will enable new lacrosse families to share in the benefits and opportunities that our children have experienced through the sport.

Thank you for helping to fuel our mission and extend the reach of lacrosse to every child.

Steve Stenersen is the CEO of US Lacrosse.