April 8, 2026

From One Trip to a Movement: How Lacrosse and 135 Sticks Changed Lives in South Africa

From One Trip to a Movement: How Lacrosse and 135 Sticks Changed Lives in South Africa
Season 1

What starts as an ordinary trip can sometimes become the spark for real, lasting change.

This week on Spark Me, Liz and Michele sit down with Barb Cox, a working mom whose decision to take her two teenage sons to visit their former au pair in South Africa quietly planted the seeds of the South African Lacrosse Project. What began as “just another summer adventure” became a 12-year effort that used sport, education, and community partnership to expand opportunity for orphans and vulnerable children in the Waterberg region.

At the time, Barb was balancing a demanding real estate career, raising two boys, and navigating life after divorce. Travel was her way of giving her kids a wider view of the world. When her sons were invited to spend an afternoon with children at a local NGO—the Waterberg Welfare Society—a simple question changed the trajectory of the trip: “What could we teach them?” That question led to a bold idea: bring lacrosse, a sport the local kids had never seen, to a rural township in South Africa.

From there, things grew in ways Barb never planned. A one-week camp with borrowed fields and 135 lacrosse sticks turned into the South African Lacrosse Project, drawing volunteer players and coaches from across the U.S. and beyond. Over more than a decade, the project hosted camps for hundreds of children, partnered closely with the Waterberg Welfare Society, and helped support school fees and learning resources so kids could stay in school and dream bigger about their futures.

This episode isn’t just about lacrosse—or even just about one NGO. It’s about what happens when you take a simple idea seriously, follow it longer than is comfortable, and let it reshape both your kids’ lives and your own. It’s about youth development, cross-cultural connection, and the quiet power of building something from nothing, one small “yes” at a time.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

  • How a family trip grew into the South African Lacrosse Project and sparked a movement
  • Why introducing a single new sport can open doors to education, confidence, and community
  • How Barb involved her teenage sons so they were leading, not just “tagging along”
  • What it actually took to raise money, move 100+ sticks across the world, and run camps every year
  • How partnerships with local leaders and organizations turned a fun idea into a sustained effort
  • Why exposure to different cultures can transform how kids see privilege, responsibility, and possibility
  • The role education played alongside sport—school fees, homework support, and long-term opportunity
  • How the project rippled outward to touch hundreds of kids, volunteers, and families across two continents
  • What it looks like to let a project end with integrity once it’s run its course—and still stay connected
  • How you can recognize your own “small idea” and take the very first step toward making it real

Resources From This Episode:


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