Last year, I was invited by a friend to attend a charity dinner benefiting a charter school in Harlem.  After hearing one of the students speak about how he had recently been admitted to Cornell after an extraordinarily difficult childhood, I realized how important it is to help as many students have the chance to get a great education, something that all of us have been lucky to have had throughout our lives.  To that end, I hope you can join me as I raise money for the Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership youth organization as I compete in the NYC Triathlon this year.

I think this group does a fantastic job of preparing its students for success. The HLL began as the only middle school sports team at Frederick Douglass Academy and is now a full time non-profit that places lacrosse coaches at Harlem middle schools that helps enrich the lives of young students through hands on tutoring, coaching and mentoring.  Not only is lacrosse a way to open new doors, but it is also a means to motivate, educate, and teach kids how to be responsible and become leaders in their community. Broadening the students’ experiences and skill sets prepares them to become effective leaders in the Harlem community and beyond.   HLL currently has over 50 middle school students, 40 student alumni, approximately six coaches and a mass of volunteers. Last year, they were proud to help two of its players obtain full scholarships to private boarding schools and this year were able to get ten players into boarding schools (eight on full rides).  HLL hopes to continue to open new doors to several more players this year.

I am part of a team of individuals that will be braving the waters of the mighty Hudson River, biking along Manhattan’s West Side Highway, and running through Central Park on behalf of HLL.  I am extremely excited to be part of the team and to raise money for such an amazing cause. I greatly appreciate any support that you could provide in order to help this great organization.    

For those of you unfamiliar with the race, this is an Olympic distance triathlon: a 1 mile swim, a 24.6 mile bike and a 6.2 mile run.  I have been training for the last 6 months and am very excited to compete in july. 

http://www.nyctri.com/

Be sure to check out HLL's website and videos to get a better understanding of this amazing organization.  

http://www.harlemlacrosse.org/site/HLL.html

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvUk7Wph6mw