Lacrosse Teams Light up the Night For a Good Cause

Last Friday night, the Eastchester community came together for athletics—and a good cause—as the boys and girls varsity lacrosse teams hosted their annual Light Up the Night for Autism Games. 

The event, held at Haindl Field, featured two games against White Plains, and even though the Tigers topped the host Eagles in each of the contests, there were two other big winners on the day, as all proceeds went to Eastchester SEPTA and the South East Consortium, a local organization that provides therapeutic recreation programs and activities to children and adults with disabilities and special needs.

The Eagles’ Athletic Department held its first-ever “Light up the Night for Autism” in 2009 and revived the tradition in 2021 at the behest of members of the girls lacrosse team. Since then, it has emerged as a vital part of the Eastchester spring sports calendar.

“In 2021, the girls on the lacrosse team told me that they wanted to bring this back, so we worked with the boys team and we got the word out,” said Kristina Caridi, a physical education teacher at Greenvale who currently serves as the head modified girls lacrosse coach. “At the time, I was working in Waverly, Anne Hutch and Greenvale, so it seemed like a natural way to get the word out, both for our younger students and the community in general.”

Caridi noted that, throughout the years, the athletic department has strived to create more opportunities for students of all abilities, making the partnership between athletics and SEPTA—and the South East Consortium—a natural fit.  

Eastchester’s Unified Athletics and Physical Education program has become an indelible part of the school community, she said, and students have shown a true eagerness to play a role in bringing people together through sport. 

“The athletes understand how important these partnerships are,” said Caridi. “What we’re doing through unified sports and physical education is creating an inclusive environment for participation, not just for varsity, JV or modified athletes, but for everyone.”