My name is Abby Kadus and I am an 11th grade student at Warwick Valley High School. I am the founder of LaxHeart which is an organization that aims to empower young girls through the sport of Lacrosse.
I created LaxHeart based on my love of lacrosse and the need for young girls to feel confident and safe.
Two years ago my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Our family’s happy go lucky life was suddenly filled with fear and anxiety. As she went through treatments and operations, I turned toward the sport I loved. Lacrosse was something I could control and when I was playing I felt empowered and safe. My teammates and friends were great support for me and made a tough time a little easier. My mom thankfully has made a full recovery and I decided to show my gratitude for this great fortune by giving back.
That’s when I created LaxHeart. I want to give young girls the support and confidence it takes to get through tough times. Those times could be the stresses of school or social/family life or something major like an illness. Whatever the issues now or potentially in future, girls should be prepared. Boosting confidence and letting girls know they are powerful and capable is something lacrosse can do.
My LaxHeart program is simple. I come to your town, your field. I bring some great teammates and we speak to your team: girls to girls. We do some great confidence and empowerment activities all through playing lacrosse. My staff and I are all dedicated lacrosse players looking to play at the collegiate level so in addition to the personal benefits, the team will also get a great tune up in their lacrosse skills! The girls will work hard and hopefully come out learning some positive things about themselves and their teammates.
After all, our LaxHeart motto is : Play Lacrosse with ALL your heart.
Our program is free. Our company is completely non-profit. We come to your rec field or school and bring all equipment (balls, cones, etc) All we ask is that we set-up somewhere with a goal (if that is not possible we can bring a goal, we just need to know in advance) We also provide some great literature on girl empowerment that parents can take as well as some swag and stickers for the girls!
If Interested or for more information-Contact me at abbykadus@gmail.com