Warren lacrosse association to honor all branches of the military
A tribute to active duty troops and veterans from all branches of the military will highlight Red, White and Blue Devils Military Night. This event is planned by the Warren Area Lacrosse Association and will be at 5 p.m. Friday May 1, at Warren Township High School's O'Plaine Campus, held in conjunction with Military Appreciation Month.
The event is the continuation of WALA's ongoing sponsorship of United States military units serving overseas. Warren Lacrosse, from the younger U9 to the high school teams, has sponsored military units overseas as an ongoing community service project for the past five years.
The student-athletes have collected thousands of items to ship to these military units while they are deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
The evening begins at 5 p.m. with the girls varsity game against Deerfield. The military ceremonies and festivities will follow the completion of the girls' game. The boys varsity game against Hoffman Estates will begin around 7:30 p.m.
The ceremony will include a full color guard provided by Navy sea cadets out of Great Lakes Naval base and an introduction of honored guests. Immediately following the boys' game, all current and alumni lacrosse players are invited for a group "Attack of the Turf" photo. All players are asked to wear their uniform or lacrosse apparel.
The public is invited to attend this free event, which features fan giveaways. Concessions will be open for the evening.
Warren Township High School's O'Plaine Campus is at 500 N. O'Plaine Road in Gurnee. Additional information about WALA can be found on the organization's website, www.warrenlax.com.
WALA is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to establish, develop and promote youth lacrosse for boys and girls in the Warren Township area in kindergarten through 12th grade. WALA's primary role is to establish lacrosse and fund teams at Warren Township High School because it doesn't have an established program through the school district.