GIVING THANKS
Young Americans too often come back from foreign wars with life-changing wounds. As we carry on with our lives, they struggle for the rest of theirs.
To help ease that struggle, the Fairfield Ludlowe High School boys & girls lacrosse programs are hosting the 19th Annual Sticks for Soldiers™ Thanksgiving Lacrosse Classic on Saturday November 29, 2025.
PLEASE JOIN US IN RAISING FUNDS AND AWARENESS FOR THESE HEROIC AMERICANS.
In 2024, 32 boys and girls teams that included over 500 high school athletes raised over $60,000. In 18 years, over $1.2 million has been donated locally to wounded servicemen and their families.
THE POWER OF THIS TOURNAMENT GOES WELL BEYOND MUCH-NEEDED FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
It also raises awareness. All of us tend to forget. For high school athletes, the chance to compete and raise money for wounded men and women just a few years older than themselves is unforgettable.
PLEASE HELP US GIVE THANKS. To men and women who changed their lives to protect ours.
2025 HONOREE
U.S. NAVY SENIOR CHIEF PETTY OFFICER (RET) KENTON STACY
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In a Legoland hotel parking lot, Lindsey Stacy's phone vibrated. She saw the area code and smiled—Kenton. Her husband, a 34-year-old Navy EOD master technician, was deployed in Syria, due home in three weeks.
Married for 13 years, the high school sweethearts from Ohio had four children. Kenton had served four combat tours, disarming IEDs in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. This deployment meant missing their son Mason’s sixth birthday. At the hotel, Mason blew out his candles and wished for his dad to come home.
The next morning, Lindsey’s phone rang. It wasn’t Kenton—it was his commanding officer. There’d been an explosion.
Nineteen months later, Lindsey still remembers the moment her heart sank. She wasn't prepared for the extent of Kenton's injuries, the hospital stays, or the outpouring of support from loved ones and strangers alike.
Kenton and Lindsey met in homeroom in sixth grade. By their junior year, they were inseparable. He wanted to be a firefighter; she pursued a career in travel. When Greenville had a hiring freeze, Lindsey saw a newspaper ad for firefighting jobs. Kenton called—only to find it was a Navy recruiter. No fire jobs, but there were openings in Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
He thrived in EOD, jumping from planes, diving, and deploying with Navy SEALs. His career flourished while Lindsey put hers on hold to raise their family. When he deployed to Syria in 2017, he aimed to prove himself as a master technician.
On Nov. 9, 2017, in Raqqah, Kenton was training local soldiers to clear ISIS bombs. His team defused several IEDs in a hospital before an explosion rocked the building. Staff Sgt. Justin Peck, an Army medic, found Kenton unconscious, bleeding from his throat, chest, and leg. Kenton's heart stopped four times before surgeons revived him. He endured over a dozen surgeries and 42 pints of blood transfusions before being flown to Texas for treatment—arriving on Veterans Day.
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DONATE
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE,
AND YOU CAN HELP.
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This is an all-volunteer effort. If you are interested in additional information, to donate, become a sponsor, volunteer, or to secure a team spot in the next tournament, please contact Bob Vitale, President and Event Chairman at sticksforsoldiers@gmail.com.
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Donations may be sent to:
Sticks for Soldiers, Inc.
c/o Treasurer
PO Box 475
Fairfield, CT 06824-0475
Checks made payable to:
Sticks for Soldiers, Inc.
Memo note: 2024 S4S
Sticks for Soldiers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization recognized by the IRS.
EIN #: 46-0962202
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DONORS & SPONSORS
Sticks For Soldiers is a non-profit charity lacrosse tournament held in Fairfield, CT to raise money for wounded troops. The mission of the tournament is to provide support and give thanks to the service men and women who put their lives on the line and sacrificed for our country, while raising awareness among high school athletes to the sacrifices being made by people just a few years older than they are. The event and related fund-raising efforts has now raised over $1,200,000 in 17 years.