Raise a Stick: Giving Season Goal Exceeded!

CityLax, the country’s largest nonprofit dedicated to advancing lacrosse opportunities for urban youth in New York City, is excited to announce that it exceeded its goal of 100 lacrosse sticks during the 2025 giving season.

CityLax raised over $12,000 during its Giving Tuesday campaign, which ran through the beginning of December, and as a result the non-profit was able to partner with ReLax Collections to purchase a much-needed 147 brand-new sticks.

The sticks will go directly to helping CityLax’s Discover Lacrosse program, which is a free in-school, gym-class initiative that introduces lacrosse to underserved communities in NYC public middle schools.

Discover Lacrosse coaches visit schools, provide the students a brief history of the sport and then teach them how to play lacrosse over a three-week period.

“Discover Lacrosse is one of our most popular grassroot initiatives,” said CityLax CEO Rich Lisk. “Our goal is that after our program at the school is over, the school begins an after-school program for the students who are interested in continuing to play lacrosse. This influx of sticks through our Giving Tuesday campaign will allow us to gift sticks to these schools interested in continuing the program so families and the schools don’t have to purchase equipment.”

In 2025, CityLax’s Discover Lacrosse visited 12 NYC public schools, reaching an estimated 1,000 kids in grades 6-8. The Discover Lacrosse program began over 15 years ago thanks to the leadership of CityLax co-founder Mat Levine and has run in over 70 public schools since.

“We are proud to continue supporting the CityLax mission and the Discover Lacrosse program by providing new sticks to their players,” said Will Dadouris, founder of ReLax Collections. 

ReLax is a nonprofit organization focused on expanding access to lacrosse through equipment redistribution and affordable manufacturing. Since its founding, ReLax has supported hundreds of programs worldwide by providing millions of dollars worth of lacrosse equipment to youth organizations, schools, and community-based programs. With the launch of its own line of affordable lacrosse sticks, ReLax Collections continues its mission of ensuring that cost is never a barrier to participation in the sport.

CityLax’s Giving Tuesday campaign rewarded donors for every $150 donated with a chance to win tickets to see a 35th anniversary screening of the original Home Alone followed by a moderated Q&A with Macaulay Culkin in Brooklyn. Donor Aquenette Purnell- Hurd was the lucky winner.

Founded in 2005, CityLax has grown from a grassroots initiative into a NYC-wide movement spanning all five boroughs. Through partnerships with public schools and community organizations, CityLax has empowered thousands of student-athletes, using the sport of lacrosse as a pathway to academic achievement, personal growth, and college readiness. Today, CityLax stands as the largest urban youth lacrosse initiative in the United States.