Morrison Cohen Sponsors CityLax 2022 Spring Gala

Morrison Cohen is proud to be a sponsor of CityLax’s 2022 Spring Gala, a fundraiser to benefit CityLax, a non-profit organization dedicated to growing lacrosse in New York City.  CityLax partners with the public school system and community-based organizations to reach out to underserved youth, who are underrepresented in the sport due to the high cost of equipment and fees and the barrier perceived by minority children who cannot see themselves on the field.

Morrison Cohen Partner Michael Martell co-founded CityLax in 2005 and serves as a member of its Board. “As the proud parents of two lacrosse players, Alice and I were drawn to create a program in the New York City Public Schools, since there were no public school lacrosse programs at the time, and so many NYC student/athletes were looking for an opportunity to play a spring sport,” said Martell.

Morrison Cohen has not only supported CityLax since its inception, but “actually handled all the legal tasks, for free, to qualify the program as a 501(c)(3) back when,” added Martell.

Today, CityLax supports lacrosse programs at nearly 70 schools in New York City and Albany and includes more than 2,500 student players. “What we are most encouraged by is the impact that the program has had on our students’ success off the field,” said Martell. Last year, 98% of students on CityLax teams graduated from high school, compared to the citywide average of 70%.

The family-friendly Spring Gala, which will take place on May 4, 2022 at New York Athletic Club in New York City, will honor fallen 9/11 lacrosse heroes and U.S. Marine Charlie Kenney, a teammate of Nick Martell’s at Brown, who died while serving his country, as well as feature a meet and greet with professional players.