In partnership with NCSA, the official responsible recruiting services provider of US Lacrosse, we are proud to highlight our newest Impact Athletes — boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse players who are supporting their communities with special efforts.

We all recognize that these are unusual and unprecedented times, but great challenges also offer great opportunities, and US Lacrosse continues to receive and share some of these stories.

US Lacrosse has created an easy-to-use online submission form so you can share your stories and photos with us. US Lacrosse reviews all submissions and selects exemplary high school athletes to recognize. These are their stories.

Charlotte DeSantos, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

For Charlotte DeSantos, a member of the Team Cranbrook Club, lacrosse has filled many roles in her life. Among other things, she says that the game has helped her to challenge herself, teach her lessons and serve as a great outlet to relieve the stresses of everyday life.

“Lacrosse has taught me so much about life,” she said. “Dealing with wins and losses, being a team player and pushing yourself to the next level. I have met so many amazing people and coaches through this sport, and I truly love it.”

Among the lessons that she has learned is the importance of helping others. Recently, DeSantos organized a shoe box drive to give back to her community.

“I asked friends to fill shoe boxes with fun toys and books for infants through 18-year-olds,” she said.

She then wrapped 50 boxes with items appropriate for each child and delivered them to a local homeless shelter.

As for her future goals, she aspires to continue playing lacrosse in college while also building on her community engagement.

“I hope to maintain a relationship with the shelter in the future and continue to help in any way possible,” DeSantos said.

Sam Burgunder, Baltimore, Md.

As a high school junior at Friends School in Baltimore, Sam Burgunder has a very well-centered attitude about playing the sport he loves.

“With the pressure to play for the best team and score the most goals so you are recruited to the best college, I think a lot of us lose focus and forget to enjoy the sport which we fell in love with,” he said. “At this point in my lacrosse career, my main goal is just to enjoy the sport I love.”

Burgunder appreciates the opportunities that he’s been provided through lacrosse, including traveling and making friends. Through the Israel Lacrosse Association, he has also had direct experience in growing the game. A trip to Israel to promote lacrosse combined his love for the game with his passion for friends, making it, in his words, “the trip of a lifetime.”

“Putting on an Israel Lacrosse sweatshirt now means so much more to me than just a team,” he said. “It represents a family and strong pride in my religion. It was truly so special to me.”

Back at home, Burgunder also felt it was his responsibility to make a positive impact on his local community. During COVID-19 quarantine, he and a friend brainstormed ways in which they could make a difference. They teamed up with Teespring and GEDCO Cares, a local food bank serving those in need, to create a line of ‘Rona Relief-apparel, selling t-shirts, sweatshirts and even onesies for the little ones.

One-hundred percent of the proceeds are donated straight to help feed the hungry in Baltimore, with over $1,000 raised thus far.