Kylie Ohlmiller reflects on KO17 Lacrosse trip to LtN Panama
the group puts together new equipment before heading to their first practice of the week
The week of February 19th, 2022 — I embarked on a trip to a country I had never been to before. Alongside my younger sister, Taryn, and my best friend of 25 years, Hana, we gathered three equipment bags full of heads, shafts, and goodies and headed to JFK Airport.
We were heading to Bocas del Toro, Panama for a trip to work with Lacrosse the Nations. LtN was kind enough to provide KO17 Lacrosse with a fundraising page to help contribute to our travel expenses to Panama — while KO17 Lacrosse held an equipment drive to collect sticks, protective gear, clothing, and all kinds of goods that the LtN staff would be able to distribute amongst their programs. The KO17 Fam showed UP when it came to their donations, and we couldn’t be more thankful and appreciative to all who contributed.
Left to Right: Country Director Maria McDonough, Program Director Caleigh DeCaprio, Hana Lepore, Taryn Ohlmiller, Former Program Director Maddie Finnen, Assistant Coach Sizzla Alvarez, and Kylie Ohlmiller
When the trio from Islip landed in Panama, we were greeted by yet another one of our closest friends from Islip - Caleigh DeCaprio (Panama Program Director). Caleigh is working for Lacrosse the Nations and living in Bocas del Toro full time this year, alongside our new friend, Maria McDonough (Panama Country Director). These two incredible women welcomed us with open arms and created the most thoughtful itinerary for our KO17 Lacrosse trip, not only showing us the beauty that is this vast archipelago in the Caribbean - but also fully immersing us in the culture that they and their community live and breathe every single day.
Exploring Isla Bastimentos while on a hike to Wizard Beach - which included a stop at the home and business of one of our LtN families!
Throughout the course of one week, we experienced everything that Bocas del Toro has to offer — from hikes across islands to hidden beachfronts, to eating every meal on docks just yards away from crystal blue water, to taking a tour through a historic cacao farm and preservative rain forest, to horseback riding through sloth-filled forests on the beach. Each day was jam-packed with sights and activities that we can truthfully say we had never had the chance to experience before this trip, and can now gladly say we are so lucky to have real memories of.
On top of the exciting adventures that Caleigh & Maria planned for us — we were able to go to lacrosse practice and meet the kids whose smiles were so contagious it truly was an experience we will never forget. We played Hungry Hungry Hippos and ran relay races, we tried goalie sticks for the first time [thanks to those in our KO17 Fam who donated those], we scrimmaged with Hana hopping in on the action [full speed or no speed at all, naturally], and Taryn and I even played goalie while we worked on our shots [not well, but hey, trying new things is always good!].
Morning beach clean-up with new friends
We met some new young friends as we spent one morning along the local beach cleaning up trash and plastic. We brushed up on our Spanish, with the help of our friends Xia, Silas, Anis, Seta, and of course - Coach Maria, who impressively became fluent simply by living in Bocas for the last 2.5 years! We learned that many of the players in the LtN program have families from all over the world and speak many different languages, so fully absorbing some of the common terms used on the lacrosse field to communicate with one another during practices was one of our favorite parts of the lacrosse experience!
Kylie learning some Spanish lax lingo from Anis and Elmer on the sidelines
During our last night in Bocas, we went around the dinner table at a lovely sushi restaurant on the water and shared our ‘roses and thorns’ of the weeklong trip. When we say it was difficult to think of our thorns, it truly was. What was truly special about this discussion, though, was learning that every one of us shared a unique rose. Each one of us had a different highest moment from the trip to share with the group— and to us, that means the trip was quite successful!
We are so grateful to have been able to bring what we could from those who support KO17 Lacrosse to Panama through this trip with Lacrosse the Nations. On top of that, we are so incredibly indebted to the staff and kids at LtN for the experiences and perspective they gave us this February Break.
From Islip, Long Island to Bocas Del Toro, Panama
Lacrosse is something that we can all share a bond over, smile about, create memories playing, and learn about each other through. It’s such a special thing that gathers us all together — whether it is 4 girls from a small town on Long Island reunited as adults in Panama to coach the sport they all fell in love with as kids. Or something that allows a small company like KO17 Lacrosse to reach a community it may have never had the opportunity to without an organization as dedicated as Lacrosse the Nations. Lacrosse is that thing that no matter what language we speak, or what country we are from, or who we are — we can all gather around it and smile while we have the chance to play it together.
It’s special. And that’s what this trip with Lacrosse the Nations will forever be remembered as by us — so special. Thank you LtN for accepting us into your home and showing us the beauty that is Bocas.
Nuestros corazones están llenos.
Muchas gracias, Lacrosse the Nations!
Con Cariño,
Kylie Ohlmiller
KO17 Lacrosse
Get Involved on Global Community Engagement Day!
The first Global Community Engagement Day was celebrated on January 28th, 2018. It is a day for individuals, businesses, and organizations to broadcast how they practice community engagement and encourage others to find ways to do so in their communities and connect with others who want to do the same. It aims to highlight the value and benefits of community engagement. By engaging with different groups within the community, relationships are both built and strengthened, and the outcome is intended to benefit all.
Global Community Engagement Day began as an idea started by Engage 2 Act, an organization that aims to progress community engagement practice by bringing people together to talk about important issues in their community. Engage 2 Act started as a small group in Southern Australia that wanted to reach out to people all over the world about what they do for community engagement. In an effort to put the holiday on the global map, they began a poll where they asked their social media followers what pioneer of community engagement stands out to them most. The top voted person’s birth date would be used as the date to commemorate Global Community Engagement Day. The poll resulted in Dr. Wendy Sarkissian as the top choice, and thus her birthday, January 28th, was chosen as the international day to celebrate and encourage community engagement.
Community Engagement is critical for decision making, as well as for meeting the needs of the community and its people. Businesses and organizations can better address specific issues by putting the people and their needs first. This helps those making decisions gain perspective so that decisions are not being made one-sided. This process also empowers people within the community by allowing their voices to be heard, which builds trust and increases commitment between community members.
There are simple ways you can take part in #GlobalCommunityEngagementDay. You can begin by learning how you can become more involved in your community. You can donate to a cause in your community. You can discuss with your coworkers or give ideas to your employer of how your company can be more involved in the community. You can think of a list of things on your own that could help better your community and find ways to begin addressing them. Be sure to learn ways in which you can involve diverse and hard-to-reach communities. You can also help spread awareness for this day on your socials using the hashtags #GlobalCommunityEngagementDay and #CommEngageDay.
We are constantly practicing community engagement here at LtN and working on new ways to do so. We engage with our communities by building and strengthening relationships with schools and organizations on the ground to be our eyes, ears, and trusted advisors. These local leaders help provide us with the necessary infrastructure to bring lacrosse to new communities. No two LtN programs look alike because of the unique circumstances of each community. We collaborate with local leaders to identify how LtN can best help our student-athletes and community members, and then adapt our programs to address their specific challenges.
Now that you’ve learned the story behind this day, the importance of community engagement, how we do so at LtN, and different ways that you can engage with your own community, help celebrate the day with us by taking action in your community today!
#GlobalCommunityEngagementDay #CommEngageDay
Join Us on International Volunteer Day!
International Volunteer Day is a day that was designated by the United Nations in 1985 as an international observance day to celebrate the power of volunteerism and the potential it has to make a difference in the world. It gives volunteer organizations an opportunity to raise awareness for their cause and gives both organizations and volunteers the chance to gain understanding for the contributions they are making to their communities.
By volunteering, you help to improve the lives of others, make the world a better place, and you are able to gain a greater sense of belonging to your community. By donating your time, you gain valuable life skills, as well as life changing experiences and relationships.
We would like to take the opportunity on this day to highlight the various volunteer opportunities that we have here at Lacrosse the Nations. Volunteering with LtN abroad is an incredibly unique and rewarding experience. LtN is an integral part of the communities where we work, providing volunteers with genuine connections, invaluable community development and nonprofit experience, and lifelong memories.
You can volunteer for a one-week service trip, a 1-3 month internship, or a 6+ month fellowship. Our service trips give you a chance to see the power that lacrosse has to do some serious good in the world and will expose you to a new community and culture.
Through our internship, or short-term volunteer program, you will be able to help implement LtN programs and player development, while also working with a wide range of community development projects. See the full internship description here.
As a long-term volunteer, you will be a Program Director at one of our sites where you will oversee LtN program implementation, help with coach and player development, and implement community development projects. See the full Program Director position here.
You can find more details about our volunteer opportunities and apply here! Take the leap in honor of International Volunteer Day and join our LtN team!