The University of New Haven teamed up with Team IMPACT to make five-year-old Isaiah Lamb, a quadruplet with cerebral palsy, a member of the Men’s Lacrosse family.
On Friday February 17th, the University of New Haven’s Men’s Lacrosse team had a press conference where Isaiah officially signed as a member of the team and received a jersey, with number 8, which is his favorite number. The team also gave Isaiah and his siblings Gabriel, Nathaniel, Maryann, and Isabella lacrosse sticks, officially making Isaiah and the rest of the Lamb family members of the University of New Haven community.
Isaiah has met with the lacrosse team and their coach Rob Holub many times and now the team has made Isaiah a lifelong member of the team.
Back in December, Isaiah came by the University and spent some time with the players and coaches. Isaiah and his siblings spent time playing games with the players and even singing Christmas carols. At the end of the visit, Isaiah was presented with his own lacrosse helmet signed by the entire team.
Cerebral Palsy is a disease that impairs motor function due to brain injury when a child is very young. However, Isaiah has taken what he has been given in stride, and even as a young child, continues to stay strong. Isaiah is always happy and positive and loves to tell jokes. And now, with the help of Team IMPACT, he has been given the opportunity to have a close relationship with Coach Holub and the rest of the men’s lacrosse team as not only a friend, but a member of the team.
Team IMPACT is an organization from Massachusetts that pairs children with illnesses with colleges and universities and lets them become part of the team. They “improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team.”
This organization chooses children that have been in the hospital frequently and has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and pairs them up with college sports teams in their area. These children get drafted by the sports team and continue to have a relationship with the team for years, getting to know the coaches and players.
Creating these meaningful relationships helps improve the quality of life for these children and their families. These children remain a part of these teams until they eventually graduate from the program. Once a child is graduated from the program, the child is still a part of the team and the college or university, it just allows the college or university to draft another child into their organization.
For the University of New Haven to team up with an organization like Team IMPACT says a lot about the University. By signing Isaiah Lamb to the Men’s Lacrosse Team, the University has created an amazing relationship with a very deserving child and family.