US Lacrosse’s Impact Athletes initiative seeks to highlight the efforts and contributions being made by boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse players to support their communities during these challenging days.
Each week, US Lacrosse is reviewing submissions and selecting exemplary high school athletes to recognize. These are their stories.
This week, we highlight two individuals, both of whom are finding ways to contribute to those in need.
*Note: US Lacrosse has created an easy-to-use online submission form so you can share stories and photos of other Impact Athletes in your community. Submissions will be accepted through June 1.
BRETT CALLAHAN, GLENWOOD, MD.
A senior at Mount St. Joseph High School, Callahan makes lacrosse part of his everyday life. Since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation, he’s made giving back part of his life, too.
He and his friend Brady Murphy have raised $2,000 via social media and word of mouth to buy groceries for his Howard County neighbors. They have delivered 144 dozen eggs, 120 gallons of milk, diapers, baby food and personal hygiene items to Columbia Community Care, a “grassroots network of neighbors serving neighbors.”
The Bucknell-bound lacrosse player has been a thought leader in his community, even before the pandemic struck. As a junior, he graduated from LeadershipU of Howard County. His group worked to implement a poverty simulator to educate middle school students about life in poverty.
During his senior year, he volunteered four morning each week to mentor preschool children in Baltimore City. He has also interned with Harlem Lacrosse.
SELIA LYONS, MILLER PLACE, N.Y.
Lyons, a sophomore at Miller Place High School, has given back during the pandemic through volunteering with Peconic Bay Medical Center. She helps put together care packages, which contain hand sanitizer, surgical masks and COVID-19 educational materials.
She then takes these care packages and hands them out to a local food outreach called Lighthouse Mission, which has 10 locations across Long Island’s Suffolk County.
Lyons wrote that lacrosse has helped make her life fulfilling, and she wants to give back.
“Lacrosse has allowed me to meet so many great players and coaches all over the country,” she wrote. “Each bring so many different gifts to my life, making my so much broader.”