By TRT Staff with notes from NLL.com
PHILADELPHIA – On June 14, the National Lacrosse League (NLL), announced its continued and expanded support for the “Every Child Matters” movement during National Indigenous History Month in Canada.
“Every Child Matters” is an initiative bringing awareness to the forcible placement of Indigenous children in residential and boarding schools by the Canadian and United States governments from the 19th century to as recently as 1996 in Canada so that these atrocities are never repeated.
Fans and anyone who wants to support the initiative can bid on team-signed merchandise from NLL teams starting today through Friday, June 30, 2023, at 5pm ET. To bid on the items, fans can visit the NLL website.
All funds raised from the “Every Child Matters” auction will be split evenly between the NLL’s two non-profit partners, the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund in Canada, and the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition in the United States. Available items range from team-signed “Every Child Matters” t-shirts to the Vancouver Warriors’ First Nations Night theme jersey.
The “Every Child Matters” logo was designed by Indigenous artist, Justin Gilbert of Kuvua Designs. The Warriors’ uniform, worn during its January 28 game against the Panther City Lacrosse Club, was designed by Heiltsuk artist, K.C. Hall.
The 2022-23 season marked the second consecutive year the NLL prominently featured the “Every Child Matters” movement across North America. For three weeks in January and February, every NLL team wore “Every Child Matters”-themed warmups and added a campaign-branded helmet decal for games. During halftime of each broadcasts, special segments ran discussing this topic and others relating to Indigenous populations across Canada and the United States.
Fans can still purchase “Every Child Matters” t-shirts through the NLL’s official online stores, NLLShop.com and NLLStore.ca powered by Fanatics. For every t-shirt sold, the NLL will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.