Merrimack Athlete Gives Back in Israel

By Mathew Galvao ’17

Editor-in-Chief

Sophomore and lacrosse player Jake Howes is looking to take the game he loves overseas to give children the opportunity to experience the game of lacrosse for the first time. Howes initially thought of the idea of taking the trip to Israel while taking a class here at Merrimack.

“During a comparative politics class last semester, I was conducting research while writing a paper on the government in Israel,” said Howes. “It was then that I remembered my cousin went on a ‘Birthright’ (The Birthright program is a free 10 day trip to Israel to learn about your heritage and explore Israel) trip to Israel a couple summers ago and fell in love with the country.”

After researching ‘Birthright,’ Howes was intent on going abroad to help spread the game of lacrosse in hopes of getting children more involved in the game. The first week of the trip is currently funded for, which leaves the final four weeks left to be fundraised.

“Of all the types of trips that the program offers, one stood out to me: the opportunity to teach youth lacrosse players,” explained Howes. “The only catch is that the trip is five weeks in total, so I need to finance the last 4 weeks through fundraising. And at the end of the day, the sport has given so much to me, it is only fitting to help those less fortunate.”

Howes plans achieving a shot at a bid in the FIL Championships in England in the summer of 2018 with the Israel National Lacrosse team, as well as providing support and inspiration to the young lacrosse players.

“Instilling discipline, hard-work, and mental toughness at an early age will help them grow much faster than I did when I was their age,” said Howes. “I just want to be able to share what I’ve learned from and more about the sport so they can be successful.”

During the trip, he’ll be accompanied by 30 other male and female lacrosse players ranging from division I players to club players.

To help with the costs of housing and transportation, visit Howes’ fundraising page: https://www.gofundme.com/israellacrosse.