By: RJ Kaminski
Ben Ziniti and Ray Summers, former military personnel and co-founders of 4 Leaf Lacrosse New England, formed the organization back in 2013 to provide opportunities for kids in New Hampshire to expand their ability to play lacrosse. The organization consists of seven teams, ranging from third grade to eighth grade.
4 Leaf Lacrosse’s 2019 team in action.
Five of those seven teams are set to participate in Shootout for Soldiers Boston June 26-27. This is the first charity event 4 Leaf Lacrosse has participated in since its inception in 2013, but it is one whose cause means quite a lot to Ziniti and Summers.
“I was pretty fired up to get our program involved,” former Staff Sergeant Summers said. “We both decided Shootout for Soldiers would be an awesome cause to get behind.”
“[The cause] is very close to me, having graduated from West Point,” Ziniti, former Captain in the U.S. Army, said. “I lost several classmates during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan so it means a lot for me to raise money for Wounded Warrior Project and other great organizations like The Gary Sinise Foundation.”
“I’ve reached out through my network to some of the guys who played at Army and others that went into service to try to get some guys for the Veterans Game,” Summers said. “We want to engage as many of us who both serve and play to really get that connection between lacrosse and veterans.”
To increase that veteran presence in Boston, Summers has invited men with whom he previously served to come out to the event.
“A couple of my good friends that are down in Fort Bragg are going to potentially be coming up to be honorary captains,” he said. “I’m looking for the kids to get exposure to our veterans and the ability to give back to the community. I want to drive home a sense of service within the kids that are in our program.”
To donate to the 4-Leaf Lacrosse teams participating in Shootout for Soldiers Boston, click HERE.
