Latest edition of HEADstrong Alumni Challenge set to impress
For all his years in the Delaware County lacrosse community, Kevin Merchant knew of the HEADstrong Foundation and its mission. But it wasn’t until the Marple Newtown boys lacrosse head coach went on a tour of Nick’s House in Swarthmore, the foundation’s temporary housing for patients and their families traveling to Philadelphia for cancer care, that it really clicked.
“I took that tour of Nick’s House, and it had an impact on me,” Merchant said this week. “I’ve lost grandparents to cancer, and what they’re doing for families with cancer is just amazing.”
HEADstrong’s footprint in the local lacrosse community has long been multi-faceted. One of the growing aspects of that will enjoy its third installment Friday with the Alumni Challenge at Marple Newtown.
The day will include a tripleheader at Bundt Cake Field, starting at 9:30 a.m. with a game between Penncrest and Strath Haven lacrosse alumni. Lower Merion and Marple Newtown will face off at 11 a.m., and Conestoga and Radnor will cap it at 12:30. (Games have been moved up with rain in the forecast for Black Friday.)
The initiative started in 2019 with Springfield and Ridley, the latter the alma mater of Nick Colleluori, in whose memory the foundation was started. After a one-year hiatus for the COVID-19 pandemic, the event resumed in 2021 with the two originals joined by the Media Bowl rivals.
This year’s expansion means eight programs in Southeastern Pennsylvania have been involved, raising funds and awareness for HEADstrong’s work for people battling cancer and their families.
For Merchant, jumping in became a no-brainer. Marple has long hosted an alumni game around this time, pitting current players against grads. It’s part of Merchant’s revitalization of the program that began from within and led to the PIAA Class 2A final last year. Grafting that onto the HEADstrong games with the added tie of benefiting a great cause was a win-win.
“We’re honored to be a part of it,” Merchant said. “It’s a great opportunity to give back to people in the community. … There’s definitely a rich history of lacrosse players of different age groups that have played here or gone to college and stayed in touch with the program and that still follow the program. I think our success last year has brought those guys together, and you pair that with what we’re building, and it’s an opportunity to do that and give back.”
Merchant says he has alumni traveling from as far as New York and Ohio for the game. Merchant will also be suiting up.
Pat Colleluori, HEADstrong’s chief development officer, has been blown away by what Merchant and Marple’s administration, including athletic director Chris Gicking, have done in stepping up to not only participate but host the games.
“Kevin has been instrumental in all of this, as a wonderful representative of the cause and having such ownership,” Colleluori said. “He’s made sure that everything
that we’ve needed has not only been accommodated but always asking, how can we make this better?”
The Alumni Challenge is part of a suite of activities that HEADstrong has during the holidays, one of its busiest parts of its calendar. Nov. 28 will mark the 16th anniversary of Nick’s passing after a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
HEADstrong has distributed more than $26 million in direct assistance to families waging battles against cancer. That includes more than 30,000 nights of lodging, with a planned expansion to New England looming. This year, the organization will hand out meals to patients spending Thanksgiving at the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn as well as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, plus providing Christmas
meals to 18 local families.
Pat Colleluori estimates the two previous Alumni Challenges have raised around $70,000 for the organization, via sponsorships, fundraising and attendance. Tickets to attend are $5 each, and you can sign up as a sponsor or a volunteer online.
This year, all six teams will give an award sponsored by HEADstrong to a member of their community who has been instrumental in growing the sport. Each game will have an honorary family battling cancer from one of the communities that will directly receive proceeds of the day.
For Colleluori, it’s all about points of engagement for members of this vibrant community that was so important to his brother and himself. So many young lacrosse players grew up sporting lime green gear, the foundation’s
hallmark. Many played on HEADstrong club teams or at HEADstrong events, or raised money via team campaigns in high school or college. Soon, some will be sending their sons and daughters to HEADstrong-sponsored events (Nick would’ve celebrated his 38th birthday this year).
As Pat Colleluori knows, the more success HEADstrong has an organization in expanding its reach, the greater the needs are. Watching players’ engagement with the foundation change as they mature from kids to adults ensures that their connection to HEADstrong’s work and commitment to its mission grow and deepen as well.
“When you see it up close and personal, it really does become bigger,” he said. “You become connected, even if you haven’t been touched by cancer.”