They pulled a Teddy Roosevelt and walked softly but carried big sticks — and it was all for a good cause.
The second annual Face Off For the Cause benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project was held last weekend with special matches at Ponte Vedra High School. The University of Maryland, The United States Air Force Academy, Clemson University and Florida State University participated in two Division I lacrosse games held at the University of North Florida. Each team was joined by a wounded warrior who acted as an honorary team captain for the game. In addition, Ponte Vedra High School hosted both college and high school lacrosse games last Friday and Sunday to raise awareness for the cause. Adam Silva, Director of Resource Development for The Wounded Warrior Project, said the concept for the event came because of a love of lacrosse. “Jack Francis and I were coaching [lacrosse] at Nease ,” Silva said. “We both played Division I lacrosse in college. One day in August of 2007, we were talking and realized we really need to have a Division I lacrosse game in North Florida.” Silva said both he and Francis thought it was important to expose kids to Division I lacrosse. He said they really didn’t need to keep the proceeds from the game, and decided it should go to a local charity. Silva attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and Francis had close friends who died in helicopter accidents while at war, so donating the proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project was the perfect fit. “We came up with the idea before I started working for them,” Silva said. “Three months after the first event, I was offered the job.”
The Wounded Warrior Project was started when a small group of veterans realized the difficulties of soldiers returning home with injuries from Afghanistan and Iraq. They wanted to provide support for the severely wounded and help them on the road to recovery. The projects signature program, which delivers backpacks to the bedsides of wounded warriors, is one of the many ways the organization tries to achieve its mission of honoring and empowering wounded warriors.