The Spanish Lacrosse Association (AEL) recently received a generous donation from the Give & Go Foundation, an American Based non-profit whose mission is to help grow the game of lacrosse abroad. Give & Go’s donation consisted of 57 men’s lacrosse helmets, a portable Rage Cage lacrosse goal, and a monetary donation, given to put towards the development of local coaches and officials. This equipment will be used by the AEL’s development program, Lacrosse Para Todos (LPT), in order to continue to introduce lacrosse in schools and clubs throughout Spain and grow the existing player base.
The Give & Go Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2018 by American professional lacrosse players Scott Ratliff and Adam Ghitelman. Their mission is to empower underserved lacrosse communities worldwide. Through their experience growing the game abroad they have noticed that, “The greatest challenge many underserved lacrosse programs face is access to proper equipment.” Because of this, Give & Go continues to raise money and resources whenever possible in order to support other programs like the AEL, worldwide.
The resources they sent to Spain are already being put to good use. The Rage Cage goal and a portion of the helmets were allocated to the Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara) LPT program, Spain's newest youth lacrosse organization. Propelled by the efforts of LPT and volunteers, Azuqueca has gone from a community that had never heard of the sport to a town boasting over 80 youth players in a matter of only two months. This has encouraged the locals to create a senior team alongside and independent from AEL, that already counts with 20 players. With this rapid growth of the game, comes its own set of challenges, primarily securing sticks and reliable gear for everyone involved. This is why Give & Go’s mission is so critical for organizations like the AEL. As Cristina Grijalba, AEL’s General Director put it, “There is still so much left to do but these incredible gestures mean that we can progress quicker, with bigger strides. At such an early stage, not only does this help us on the actual field but also helps emotionally to lift morale and boost everyone’s motivation to keep going.”
If you’re interested in making a donation to the AEL or the Give & Go Foundation you can find more information on both organizations below:
AEL: https://www.spainlacrosse.org/nosotros
Lacrosse Para todos: https://www.spainlacrosse.org/lacrosse-para-todos
Fondo Give & Go: https://givegofund.com/