One Love empowers young people with the tools and resources they need to see the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships

On Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m., the Sanford’s Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team is hosting a “One Love” dedication game at Alumni Stadium. The JV game will follow at 11:30 a.m. All of the donations from this event will be given to the Foundation.

Yeardley Love, a former lacrosse player at the University of Virginia, was tragically killed by her ex-boyfriend on May 3, 2010, just three weeks shy of graduating. Her family learned during the trial that there were signs Yeardley was in an abusive relationship. The Foundation was created in her honor.

One Love empowers young people with the tools and resources they need to see the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and bring life-saving prevention education to their communities.

The team has created a donation page for people to contribute to, setting a fundraising goal of $250. The game will also have posters with a QR code to the donation link, however, they can also be made ahead of time. 

The donation page is linked here: https://give.joinonelove.org/team/583964

This is the third annual dedication game hosted by the program. Last year, the team hosted a “Stick it to Cancer” game where the team raised more than $300 for the American Cancer Foundation. In 2022, they held their first dedication game for Morgan’s Message, which promoted mental health in athletes.

“Each year, we try to focus on something bigger than lacrosse,” said coach Kelly Foley. “It’s important for our athletes to grow as people and give back to communities in new ways.”

Foley is proud to watch her players take a role in choosing a game to dedicate to something bigger than themselves. In this case, it’s “especially important” because it can impact their futures.

According to One Love’s website, one in three teens experiences abuse from a romantic partner. The foundation provides teams with healthy relationship education that raises awareness of the unhealthy relationships that teens experience and how this can be prevented – and even save lives.

The players will be wearing teal “One Love” shirts and matching hair ties. Since it is also Spring Spirit Week, attendees are encouraged to wear pajamas.