World Humanitarian Day with LtN
On August 19, 2003, 22 United Nations and Relief Agency staff sacrificed their lives while performing humanitarian work at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. The Canal Hotel was being used as UN headquarters at the time, and the attack was in response to the UN’s initiative to assist Iraq in it’s National Development efforts. The men and women who sacrificed their lives to help others were the epitome of humanitarian, and today we are celebrating them. World Humanitarian Day not only began from the inspiration those heroes dedicated their lives to, but to the hardworking humanitarians that continue to do so today.
Humanitarian workers, otherwise known as aid workers, work and manage projects in areas suffering from hardships such as war, natural disasters, disease, and more. Typically, those who do humanitarian work take charge at the front-lines, making them vulnerable to injury and other hardship. Jobs in the humanitarian and aid worker fields can include social workers, nurses and doctors, foreign aid workers, and more. These jobs depend on communication, dedication, and empathy. Humanitarian workers act as real heroes, dedicating their lives to service and aid.
The information listed above is considered a “traditional” definition of humanitarian workers, but we as LtN believe that every human can be a humanitarian. Humanitarian work can be done through little acts in daily life - holding the door open, teaching someone a new skill, being a good listener, and more. To LtN, humanitarians are those who simply seek to help support others, through everyday acts or dedicating their lives to it. Each humanitarian act makes a difference, and anyone can be a humanitarian.
Just as humanitarian workers dedicate their lives to helping and serving others, LtN does the same in it’s programs. We work diligently to assist communities with their education programs, to immerse the communities in lacrosse, and to support them through the learning of life-skills, the development of pre-existing abilities, and more. We value human connection and the empathy that comes from building relationships, just as humanitarian workers do. Here at LtN, we celebrate humanitarian workers for all that they do, and recognize the bravery and resilience that they demonstrate everyday. (mentioning opening up ways for volunteers to do humanitarian work through us, etc)
There are many ways to celebrate World Humanitarian Day and to appreciate those who do humanitarian work. One way to celebrate is to thank all of the humanitarian workers that you know; give them a call, shoot them a text, make a post, and just let them know you see the hard work that they dedicate, and appreciate it. Another way to celebrate is to dedicate yourself to a humanitarian cause. This can be done through donations, spreading awareness, being an active participant in local humanitarian work in your community, and more.
There are many ways to demonstrate appreciation, but the most important part of World Humanitarian Day is simply recognition. The smallest things can make the biggest difference, and it’s important to remember that everyone can be a hero, all it takes is a little bravery and dedication. Appreciate what others can do, and think of all the things you can do for others. Happy World Humanitarian Day, Lacrosse the Nations is thankful for all that you do!
Happy National Book Lovers Day!
Happy National Book Lovers Day! Our staff at LtN love to read, and research shows that there’s many benefits to it! For example, research shows that reading can reduce stress, make a person more empathetic, prevent cognitive decline with aging, and more. There are many different genres of books and audiobooks available for those of all ages, making it easier to find something to suit everyone. Our LtN staff reads a variety of books, and today, we’re sharing some of their favorites!
Starting off our reading list is Brooke, our Communications and Development Director! Brooke’s favorite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The book follows Santiago, who is traveling in search of treasure. Along the way, he meets a few people who give him various stories and life lessons. Brooke loves that the book has so many universal concepts that circle back into her life, proving how they’re always relevant to what she’s experienced. She highly recommends it to anyone of any age and interest!
Our Summer Vista’s Jack, Joanna, and Matt have some different tastes for reading! One of Jack’s personal favorites is Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins. This book is centered around transforming your life and pushing yourself to the full potential, which is why Jack likes it. Books like this one can be really insightful and helpful to those who always look for ways to improve and enjoy their lives. Joanna’s all-time favorite book is more of a short-story setting, titled Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. This book is a memoir about a student who revisits his former sociology professor as he is battling ALS. The book has many lessons within it about life and what’s truly important. While Joanna usually prefers adventurous, world-building books, this one truly has inspired and stuck with her. Matt, however, is a fan of a series everyone knows well: Harry Potter. The first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is Matt’s favorite! The world that J.K. Rowling has built within the series and the magic it holds is what makes it so enrapturing to everyone, including Matt!
Maria, our VISTA Development Associate, has resonated deeply with a book titled Beyond Mountains written by Tracy Kidder. The book recounts Paul Farmer, the founder of Partners in Health, and his work ethic, drive, and passion to tackle public health problems in Haiti and around the world. The book left Maria on the edge of her seat and hanging on to every message the book offers; having trouble putting it down. The book focuses on the challenges that exist between developed countries and those countries that are still in the process, making it a great book for graduate students and those interested in public health.
Reading can be many things to someone: a way to escape, something to wind down and enjoy, something to inspire. Books offer so much opportunity to learn and have fun, and the variety is never-ending. Today, take the time to share a favorite of yours, ask a friend or family their favorite, check out a new audiobook, or celebrate another way. We hope that you can take the time to appreciate reading as much as our staff does, and settle down tonight with a good book!
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Redefining Our Values
12 years ago, our co-founders Brett Hughes and Brad Corrigan decided that they wanted to use the sport of lacrosse to better equip youth for life. From their vision, Lacrosse the Nations programming was born. Over these 12 years, our organization has grown to provide educational programming, positive mentorship, nutritional support, and - most importantly - create a multinational family that values service to others. Along the way, we have adopted ideals shown to us through our partners, our parents, our volunteers and donors, and our student-athletes that have guided us in staying true to our mission. To reflect this, Lacrosse the Nations has redefined our core values, and we are so excited to share them with everyone!
There are four values that we hold ourselves accountable to each day and that guide all of our decisions, from the top down:
Humility
Empowerment
Resilience
The Power of Connection
Humility stems from our deep respect for all cultures that exist. We strive to serve people from various communities while learning as much as we can from them every single day. We facilitate open conversations in our programming and in our workplace and seek to find solutions through the open sharing of beliefs and ideas.
The Power of Connection is the knowledge that we are nothing without one another and that we all depend on each other for many things. The members of our organization and our communities are diverse and come from various backgrounds, joined together by this belief in service and the power of sport. We allow ourselves to rely on each other and to build each other up in the best way possible, sharing resources, discussion, and passion.
Empowerment is the feeling our kids get when they accomplish something during practice. It’s the way our volunteers feel when they serve new communities. It is what our donors feel after making a monumental impact around them. It’s what our staff feels when to connect all members of our mission together. Empowerment is the fostering of an individual’s innate, and embracing one’s greatest potential. We strive to make every child, parent, volunteer, donor and staff member feel empowered, strong, and capable of accomplishing any goal they face, whether they conquer it alone or with the help of others.
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly; to be flexible and unbreakable. In our programs and in our workplace, we identify, encourage, and reward skills in overcoming adversity. As an organization, we embrace roadblocks as opportunities to deepen our impact and further our mission.
These core values guide us in every decision we make, small or large. No matter the challenge, we work together to guide and discover new possibilities and solutions. We are grateful to have come as far as we have, thanks to the support and counsel of the many members that make up this LtN Family. We look forward to a future full of opportunities, continuous growth and learning.
