News
October 21, 2015Siena Lacrosse’s Faceoff For A Cause Raises $25,847 for Wounded Warrior Project
Siena Lacrosse’s Third Annual “Faceoff For A Cause” held Oct. 11 on the Siena College campus raised a new record of $25,847 for the nonprofit organization Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). The amount raised exceeded both the event’s goal of $20,000 and last year’s total of $21,450. Over the first three years of the partnership, Siena Lacrosse and partnering local collegiate men’s lacrosse programs have raised a grand total of $55,387 for WWP.
“What a great day,” said Siena Lacrosse Head Coach John Svec. “We are privileged to have been a part of the Third Annual Faceoff For a Cause benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. The teams and coaches involved are all thankful for the sacrifices of our servicemen and women who protect us and allow us the freedoms we enjoy, including the opportunity to play this great game.”
The men’s lacrosse programs from Colgate University, Ithaca College, Skidmore College, Union College and Western New England University partnered with the Saints for the event, helping raise money and awareness for our nation’s injured servicemen and women.
The event included scrimmages between the six teams and a Wounded Warrior address. Additionally, Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership, a school-based intervention program that provides academic support, admissions counseling, and lacrosse to at-risk middle school boys and girls of which Coach Svec serves on the Coaches’ Committee and Siena Lacrosse alums Peter Ruggiero ’93 (Alumni Committee) and Chris Baldwin ’85 (Executive Board of Directors) are also involved, participated in games on an adjacent field, took a tour of the Siena College campus and were involved in additional Faceoff For A Cause activities.
Nearly half of the proceeds raised from Faceoff For A Cause came from online donations through the “Rally the Troops” page, while additional money was raised through tickets sold to the event, the selling of t-shirts by each team, special checks and a donation of their game checks by the referees.
Well over 1,000 people attended the event and all proceeds were donated to WWP and will support a full range of programs and services for this generation of injured veterans and their families.
Over 50,000 servicemen and women have been injured in the recent military conflicts. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment.
WWP’s 20 programs and services are uniquely structured to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment and engagement.
