At mile 15, as the rain fell and the injuries intensified, Boston Cannons head coach Sean Quirk wondered how much he had remaining in the tank for the rest of the Boston Marathon.

Then he remembered why he was doing it all in the first place: Kenny Wallace, a member of the Endicott College men’s lacrosse team (where Quirk works as the associate athletic director and admissions liaison) through Team IMPACT, a nonprofit organization that teams young people with medical and disability challenges with college athletic teams to create bonds and support.

“He’s been such a big part of my life, my family’s life,” Quirk said. “I knew Kenny was at mile 22 waiting, so I said, ‘I’ve got to battle through the weather and injuries to see this young man.’ It was probably one of the greatest things athletically I’ve done my whole career. It was a lot of fun.”

Congratulations @CoachQuirk on finishing the #2018BostonMarathon and raising both money and awareness for @GoTeamIMPACT! #BostonStrong #BOOMsquad #CannonsCoaches pic.twitter.com/WI5BFyzJdy

— Boston Cannons (@BostonCannons) April 16, 2018

Quirk finished the marathon in less than six hours. The Boston Globe named him one of the 15 notable finishers.

His experience — even if it wasn’t an organized event with the Boston Cannons — is one example of Major League Lacrosse coaches and players integrating into their respective communities, improving the lives of others as well as their own.

“It just puts so much into perspective, whether it’s what I did on that day or myself and players going to Boston Children’s Hospital to visit kids or doing clinics,” Quirk said. “It’s giving back when others don’t have the ability to do. You see these kids, young boy or young girl, at a clinic, and you see the big smile on their faces. You say, ‘This is why I’m doing it.’”

Former Boston Cannons midfielder Josh Hawkins, who signed with the Denver Outlaws through player movement and moved there as well, had a similar experience when he visited the Children’s Hospital Colorado.

According to a press release on the team’s website, Hawkins sat with patients signing autographs and taking pictures throughout the hospital as well as going to Seacrest Studios, the hospital’s radio and television studio.

“Spending time with the kids at Children’s today was incredible. It just makes me want to go back as soon as possible,” Hawkins said in the press release. “From hanging out in Seacrest Studios with Briana, to playing video games with Danny, it was a really special afternoon. Those kids are so strong, and I can’t thank Children’s Hospital, the patients and the families enough for letting me spend the day with them.”

Major League Lacrosse is no stranger to charitable events.

Currently, the league is sponsoring the MLL Real Men Wear Pink Challenge. A player from each team raises money and awareness for breast cancer. (Atlanta’s Scott Ratliff is the defending champion.) Also, each year, the league announces a designated charitable partner for the MLL All-Star Game.

Those charities are on a more national scale, however, so individual MLL teams are also doing more with their local communities.

The Florida Launch prior to the April 28 game against the Chesapeake Bayhawks hosted boys’ and girls’ lacrosse players from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. They interacted with players before the game, were on the field for the National Anthem, and Andy Pollack — the father of one of the victims of the school shooting, Meadow Pollack — conducted the ceremonial faceoff.

Stoneman Douglas boys & girls lacrosse teams meeting w/@TheBayhawks before tonight's game vs the @Florida_Launch. @MLL_Lacrosse @MSDboysLacrosse @MSDGLax pic.twitter.com/wXW3UA0ap9

— Wells Dusenbury (@DuseReport) April 28, 2018

Launch head coach Tom Mariano talked about the mixture of emotions the experience brought.

“It was a surreal experience for all of us,” he said. “You see it from afar and you’re standing next to these students who have been affected by it in a horrific way. It didn’t sink in until I was talking to Andrew Pollack, and it broke my heart. Seeing the pain in his eyes, how he’s fighting, it was very emotional.”

Despite the sadness, Mariano said the event was a positive for students and players alike.

“The smiles on [the students’] faces, you could tell they were excited,” he said. “They probably didn’t know who I was, but they knew who the players were. They were enjoying it.”

Mariano said that participating in these events can be a slight challenge because many players and coaches have other full-time jobs and do not live in the market they play in, but that doesn’t stop them from trying.

“We all have to be creative in how we do things,” Dallas Rattlers coach Bill Warder said. “That’s part of it. Some of us would like to do a lot more. We’re not always in that situation, so you try to do the best you can.”

Warder said social media helps to localize the players, like when Jordan Wolf picked 20 fans from a photo contest to receive free tickets to the home opener.

“With social media, kids can reach out to players any time, anywhere,” he said. “Our players are really good. Even though they might not physically be there on a Tuesday afternoon, they’re interacting with the kids following them on Instagram, tweeting them, emailing them.”

Community events not only build a bond between the franchise and the locals; they also help to grow the sport of lacrosse in the area.

The Rattlers moved from Rochester to Dallas during the offseason. The team added players living in the Dallas area, such as Chris Bocklet and Zack Greer, or who originally are from the area, like Christian Carson-Banister.

“He’s like a cult figure,” Warder joked.

The Rattlers hosted four free introductory lacrosse clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on March 10. Warder led the session along with players Jack Breit, Derek DeJoe, Joe Gillis and Zack Price.

“The turnout for the clinics was really well received,” Warder said. “I would say 75 percent of the kids had never touched a stick before. They come in soccer cleats and basketball jerseys. They’re wearing Mavericks jerseys and Dallas Stars jerseys and Cowboys jerseys. We went through the drills, had fun, and it was a total blast. And a lot of those kids came to the game. I was running into the kids outside the hotel before the game and … you knew some of the kids already because you spent a great deal of time with them.”

The Cannons not only do clinics throughout the year, they also host the High School Rivalry Series, where high school lacrosse programs in Massachusetts will play a game at Harvard Stadium before several Cannons home games.

The 2018 season is the second year the Cannons will host these games, and Quirk praised the experience.

“They love the game. They play hard,” he said. “[Cornell attackman] John Piatelli, who played in that [St. Sebastian’s vs. Governor’s Academy] game, I talked to him after the game. He said, ‘It was a dream come true, playing before you guys play.’ He said he dreams of playing for the Cannons one day. It’s cool. We’ve drafted some guys who have grown up going to Cannons games. Some of these guys’ dreams are coming true. That’s neat to see. There’s that connection with the pro team and high school players.”

Major League Lacrosse coaches and players are not playing in the league for money; Charlotte Hounds head coach Jim Stagnitta recently penned an editorial for US Lacrosse Magazine about the commitment of the players and their love for the sport and competition.

While participating in community outreach, through hospital visits and clinics, helps create new fans and build the league, the sport, and the brands of individual players, Mariano said the most important thing is the effect the time has on the mentality of the players and coaches, helping them grow as both individuals and players.

“As coaches and athletes, we get caught up in our own cocoons and bubbles, and we’re focused on what we do and how we do it,” he said. “It helps us realize, yes, it’s important to win and do things right on and off the field, but if you lose a lacrosse game, it’s a lacrosse game; you can play another day and win that one.”