Earlier this month, the American Boy Project made its first appearance in Hudson, Ohio, located about 30 miles south of Cleveland, and by all accounts, its debut was a great success, due in no small part to the efforts of USA Lacrosse’s North Coast Ohio Chapter.
The well-coordinated one-day agenda included a youth boys’ Sixes tournament, college fall ball games featuring the men’s teams from Ohio State, Robert Morris, Mercyhurst, and Ohio Wesleyan, and youth player clinics led by many of the collegiate players. For one afternoon, Hudson High School in the Northeast corner of the state was the epicenter for lacrosse in Ohio.
“It was a great day of lacrosse for a great cause,” said Matt Burke, USA Lacrosse’s regional manager for the Midwest. “Everyone had a blast.”
So, what is the American Boy Project and how is it involved with lacrosse? Glad you asked.
The organization calls itself a new ally for addicts and the families that love them. It was co-founded by Larry Megale, who lost his 26-year-old lacrosse-playing son, Matt, to a heroin overdose after a 10-year battle with substance abuse. Created in Matt’s memory, American Boy hosts a series of events, dubbed Fall Brawl, to raise funds that provide financial support to recovering addicts in treatment facilities.
The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics estimates the cheapest inpatient treatment center costs $6,000 per month, and they can range up to more than $25,000 per month. Insurance coverage for many in treatment fails to cover the full need.
“The people who we provide scholarships for, a lot of the time, they’re overwhelmed that someone would help pay for their room and board while they stay in sober living,” Megale said. “We’ve helped athletes, lacrosse players, single moms, all walks of life.”
The first American Boy Fall Brawl fundraiser was in Clifton, Virginia in October 2019, and featured Larry Megale’s alma mater Virginia, along with Princeton, Notre Dame, and Colgate. After a hiatus in 2020 due to Covid-19, the Fall Brawl returned with two events in 2021. This fall, Hudson was one of three locations.
It was Megale’s relationship with Steve Byrne, North Coast Chapter president, and chapter member John Greising, that helped birth the idea of bringing the Fall Brawl to Ohio.
“We started the discussion and some planning for this about two years ago, but put everything on hold due to the pandemic,” Byrne said. “We then reconnected earlier this year and our board was very excited to support this event.”
Bringing education and awareness to a serious topic is just as important for Megale as the quality lacrosse experience that is part of each event. The latest statistics available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that Ohio ranks fourth among all states in opioid deaths.
“Ohio, in particular Northeast Ohio, was hit pretty hard with the opioid crisis over the last two years. So, it was definitely good that we were there,” Megale said.
Byrne noted the strategic importance of bringing many different parties together to organize the event and coordinate the varied elements. The North Coast Chapter took leadership on organizing the Sixes tournament and player clinics, and relied on local support for some of the operational logistics.
He credited the efforts of Brandon Schwind, Hudson High School’s boys’ lacrosse coach, as a key reason for the success on the ground, as well as the coaches from the four participating college teams.
“Everybody worked so well together and the community really got excited about hosting the event,” Byrne said. “The binding agent for all of it was lacrosse.”
Despite going head-to-head against a Cleveland Browns’ home game, the turnout for the Fall Brawl exceeded expectations. By Byrne’s early estimates, the event raised over $10,000 for the American Boy Project.
Chapter leaders have already started planning for a return engagement in 2023.
“We’ll take some of the lessons learned from this year and try to make this event bigger and better for next year,” Byrne said. “Opioid addition has really ravaged Ohio, so this event is one of the things we want to continue doing in order to help make a difference.”
