On December 1st, Delray Lacrosse & Leadership (DLL) in association with Delray Citizens for Delray Police held their annual Heroes & Helpers event at the Target in Delray Beach. Over 130 families, of which fifty five were Delray Lacrosse & families were treated to breakfast & then a take-home turkey dinner while each of the children in the DLL program received a gift card so they could purchase Christmas presents with the assistance of a police or fire department officer.

Delray Beach detective Adrian Rackauskas helped organize the event. He said “It is a collaborative effort with our local partners to hold this special event for local kids & families. Delray Lacrosse & Leadership is helping these kids in our community.” Donte Smith, head lacrosse coach for Delray Lacrosse & Leadership, went on to say “by expanding our program to include not only Pine Grove Elementary but also Carver Elementary, we gave over thirty kids the opportunity to experience this great event for the 1^st time.”

We’d also like to acknowledge the Achievement Center for Children & Families, the city of Delray Beach and the Delray Beach Police Dept and the Delray Beach Fire Dept for their continued support.” Special thanks to Coach Hunter Barnett, who is leaving the program to pursue other professional opportunities after working diligently with the Delray Lacrosse & Leadership program at  Pine Grove since December 2016.

Delray Lacrosse & Leadership is a non-profit, education based development & mentoring program for at-risk youth in Delray Beach. To learn more about their program, please go to www.delraybeachlacrosseandleadership.org.