Honoring Tradition: The Shana Kay Memorial Game Celebrates 19 Seasons of Remembrance

The “event” is the actual game we play.

For the first 15 years the game was held on Shana’s birthday 4/27. But the last couple years we had a few obstacles and the game had to be played as close as possible to 4/27. The family is extremely appreciative of our efforts to keep this game each year and it is our pleasure to do so.

We have a half time raffle each year for $100 gift cards (usually about 5 cards) and we typically donate approximately $1,000 to the foundation. Each girl on the team (jv and varsity) sells raffle tickets for $5. They can sell as many as they want. Our school community and the lacrosse families are always so generous in supporting the raffle. The HS teachers in particular always purchase a lot of tickets.

So much of the money donated to the foundation comes right back to the schools and the community.

Shana’s parents and her brother Jared with his wife and nieces attend to the game every year and bring cupcakes or donuts for our team and our opponents. Shana’s favorite color was red so we always have red balloons and the girls wear red ribbons in their hair and put the number 5 which was her jersey number their leg.

It being the 19th annual game obviously the girls on the team now we’re not even born when this tradition first started, and did not know Shana but it is pretty amazing to know that every member of the girls lacrosse program knows who Shana Kay was and knows the importance of this day. Which is to remember someone who enjoyed life and made others around her smile.

We also have a Shana Kay Character award presented to a senior each season and that is for someone who embodies similar characteristics of Shana.

Its one of my favorite awards to present at our end of season dinner.