Support OWLS (Outreach With Lacrosse & Schools), a Chicago-based volunteer organization dedicated to starting transformative lacrosse programs for inner-city schools and communities. OWLS has a dynamic, sustainable approach to sport development for at-risk inner-city youth based on:
● Teambuilding
● Healthy lifestyles
● Academic achievement
Sam Angelotta, Founder and Program Director for OWLS is leading the effort to improve and expand our programming to reach more inner-city kids. Originally from Ohio, he is a graduate and lacrosse alum of Indiana University and DePaul University. Following graduation from Indiana, he went on to coach, teach, and play lacrosse in Manchester, England as a Local Development Officer for the English Lacrosse Association. During his time there he helped organize and develop programs for schools in Manchester, as well as a local club team. Following the completion of the program he earned his Masters in Elementary Education from DePaul University. During this period of hands-on research in Chicago schools he established the OWLS organization as a response to the need for quality after-school/healthy lifestyle programs for at-risk youth. The pilot program for OWLS was launched two years ago at St. Malachy School (West Side, Chicago) where he currently works as a full-time elementary teacher, coach, and program director.
Over the last two years, hundreds of our student-athletes have experienced quality lacrosse instruction, courses in team-building, and first hand exposure to top-tier high schools and universities.
Our School-2-School Initiative has successfully connected established high school and college lacrosse programs with OWLS inner city school sites. This initiative has helped our boys and girls gain exposure to top-level programs through sport and academic enrichment. Through School-2-School we have been able to connect with elite NCAA programs in the country, including Northwestern University Women’s Lacrosse and University of Notre Dame Men’s Lacrosse, and local teams, including St. Ignatius College Prep, Loyola Academy, New Trier High School, Naperville North HS, Whitney Young HS, Neaqua Valley HS, and Benet Academy.
Our success has created demand for OWLS in more inner-city schools. We are currently improving four school-based OWLS Inner-City Development Projects:
● St. Anns School
● St. Malachy School
● Chicago Jesuit Academy
● John Marshall Metropolitan High School
These new programs will be the foundation for our vision of an Urban Scholastic Lacrosse League (USLL), scheduled for launch this spring. As all of our students play for FREE, we are seeking to raise $15,000 to support this vision. We are asking the greater community to help this holiday season.
From December 18th to February 5th we will be featuring a fundraising video highlighting our recent lacrosse development projects through the OWLS School-2-School Program. This short video will give you an exclusive look into our program and the student-athletes that make it thrive. Give the gift of lacrosse this season, help us build inner-city student-athletes!
Where will the $15,000 Go?
To give you a sense of our programming costs here's a breakdown:
$25 provides insurance and US Lacrosse membership (Lacrosse Magazine subscription) for one student
$50 provides uniform, shorts, and supplemental equipment (mouthguard, cup, water bottle etc.) for one student.
$100 provides team bus transportation for one event/game
$250 provides lacrosse equipment for one student
$500 allows one participant to attend summer camp
$1,000 provides uniforms for one team or coaching stipends for one team
Other Ways You Can Help
If you cannot donate today, there are other ways to get involved. Help us by spreading the word of our mission through social media, share the link to our video with your friends, or volunteer for an upcoming OWLS event!
Thank you for your support, help us take our inner-city student athletes to the next level!
Yours in Lacrosse,
The OWLS Team
