Andrew Suboch in his Toronto garage on March 6. Mr. Suboch sponsors a children’s lacrosse league in Mimico by collecting and selling scrap metal and e-waste.Jennifer Roberts/The Globe and Mail
The organizer: Andrew Suboch
The pitch: Funding lacrosse programs for children
Like a lot of Canadians, Andrew Suboch grew up knowing little about Canada’s national game – lacrosse – other than watching some neighbours toss a ball using old wooden sticks.
It was only when his two children started playing the game as part of their training for hockey that he took much notice. His son, Jack, went on to excel at lacrosse and he now plays for the Vancouver Warriors of the National Lacrosse League.
Both children came up through the Mimico Minor Lacrosse organization, in the Toronto area, which has been around since 1890. When the number of players in the kids’ league began falling in 2014, Mr. Suboch volunteered to step in. He offered to sponsor the “Baby Peanut” program which introduced children ages 3 and 4 to the game.
“I said, ‘I’ll backstop it and get some of the older boys and girls come out with them,’” recalled Mr. Suboch, 59, who is a personal injury lawyer in Toronto.
Thanks to his sponsorship, more than 100 children play for free each spring for eight weeks. They spend an hour every Saturday learning the game and every player is given a lightweight stick and a jersey.
“They are taught to catch, throw, pass and shoot in a non-contact environment.” he said. “You get them running around. Get them away from the screen. It is our national game so you get them exposed. And sure enough, they caught on.”
To fund the program Mr. Suboch came up with a novel idea. He started scouring his neighbourhood for discarded appliances, metal and electronic items, such as computers and cellphones. He sorted the material and sold it to a local scrap yard where it’s recycled.
“Word has gotten out so people now will give me their used electronics and metal stuff,” he said. The recycling effort raises around $20,000 annually which covers the cost of the lacrosse program.
Mr. Suboch said watching the kids play has given him a lot of satisfaction and joy. Not only is far less junk going to landfill sites, he said, but “we’ve also got kids who are not in front of a screen.”