Matt and Bree Holtz pay more than the usual entrance fee to the men’s lacrosse game Tuesday at Ralph Young Field. Ticket proceeds went to MSU Stars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
For their final home game, seniors on the MSU club lacrosse team have more decisions to make than which plays to run.
Each year, graduating players are responsible for choosing the charity that will receive proceeds from their last match at Ralph Young Field.
For Tuesday night’s game against Davenport University, the seniors allotted proceeds from the $3 admission to MSU Stars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“It’s something our seniors have done for the past three years,” head coach Andy Tibbits said. “Three years ago, a player was diagnosed with cancer, and this started out as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.”
MSU Stars raises money to grant wishes for Lansing-area children with life-threatening illnesses.
Because lacrosse is a club sport, the team is not required to perform community service. Still, club president and team captain Steve Schimpke said players have gone out of their way to publicize the game as a charity event.
“We started a Facebook.com group to promote the game,” said Schimpke, a general management junior.
“Last year, we raised $3,000 for Ele’s Place, and every year we want to at least meet what we raised before,” he said.
Ele’s Place is a Lansing-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting grieving children.
It takes about $6,000 to grant one child’s wish, according to MSU Stars.
Wishes range from trips to Disney World – the most popular wish — to meet and greets with famous people, said Clint Frutiger, director of marketing and publicity for MSU Stars.
Frutiger, a marketing senior, is a trained “wish granter” through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Last week, he accompanied a child on a Best Buy shopping spree that was sponsored by the group.
The money raised by the about 60 group volunteers stays local, he said.
MSU Stars has granted 20 wishes since it formed in 2002, said Angela Minicuci, a communication sophomore and spokeswoman for the group.
“I know lacrosse isn’t huge on campus, but MSU Stars is hoping to sponsor at least one more child this year,” Minicuci said. “Twenty kids in six years is decent, but they’d like to do more.”
The lacrosse team’s final game will be against Michigan on April 19 in Grand Rapids. Schimpke said the MSU Stars fundraiser should serve as good publicity for the team.
“Usually (the U-M) game draws 5,000 to 6,000 fans,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get a good crowd from MSU to come with us.”
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