Lane Calkins
Lessons in giving
Lane Calkins wasn’t happy that her lacrosse season at Naples High School was cut short due to the pandemic. But it ended up providing an opportunity to use her skills to help other students and her community as well.
Lane, 16, recalled that she was practicing in a nearby field near her home when a woman who was watching her came up to her and gave her a business card. It turned out the woman had played lacrosse at Cornell University under Lane’s former coach.
“You should coach,” the woman told her. She said she knew of a few kids in Fort Myers who were interested in lessons.
Intrigued by the idea, Lane went home and emailed the woman, as well as a few girls in the Naples area who might be interested in lessons.
The result was a class with three students that she coached for two months. Lane raised $1,600 and researched places she could donate her money. Her mother gave her the idea to donate to the food bank and one of her friends had also been a volunteer there.
Her coaching stint benefited her and her game. Looking at lacrosse as a coach instead of as a player gave her a different perspective on the game and its strategy. There were other benefits as well. “It’s nice to see her showing leadership, initiative and most importantly, philanthropy as well,” said her father, Edward Calkins.