The girls’ lacrosse team is playing for more than just the love of the game. They are playing to help save lives. Both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams will be playing Fenwick High School on April 27 to raise money for the American Heart Association.

            There is no charge to attend the games, but donations will be taken upon entry to the stadium. To raise awareness about heart disease, trivia facts will be shared, a heart themed soundtrack will play, and survivors related to the team will be recognized during the game. A raffle will also be held with the proceeds going to the association.

            For Varsity Head Coach Katie Fegan, this is more than just a fundraiser. Katie lost her father to a heart attack seven years ago. Her mother also suffered a heart attack four years later and had to undergo quadruple bypass surgery, but survived. Both attacks were eye openers for Katie and her sisters, Katie said.

            Katie and her sisters are now dedicated to bringing awareness to heart disease and the importance of taking care of your heart. Katie’s sister, Molly Barber, took it a step farther and started the Associate Board of Chicago, and works with the American Heart Association to raise money. The board was founded in January of this year and they have already raised over $9000.

            “I talked to the executive director of the American Heart Association and got involved with a bunch of the activities there, but I felt like they were one time kind of things,” Barber said. “I thought there was more we can do and I talked to my friends who have family who have had heart problems about starting a junior board. I think we had fifty people at the first meeting, now we have fifty people on the board and almost all of them have a direct connection to heart disease.”

To help their sister fundraise, Maggie Fegan, the JV coach at Fenwick, and Katie decided to have their programs play each other to raise money for the cause.

“We decided to host the fundraiser game as a fun and creative way to raise awareness of heart disease among young men and women and as a way to raise money for the American Heart Association,” Fegan said. “We liked the idea of hosting a game because it allows two schools and two communities to be involved.”

The sisters hope to help raise money to treat and cure heart disease across America, as well as spread awareness.

“We want to spread awareness of heart disease, and I think that’s what Katie’s doing with this game,” Barber said.  “I think it’s great that we’re educating people earlier, with high school lacrosse players and their parents.”