Austin and Ryder Margolies have been holding lacrosse sticks in their hands before they could crawl. Like their dad, who played lax in college, the two brothers (now 15 and 12 years old) love playing lacrosse, are passionate about teaching the sport to others, and recognize the importance of giving back to their community. In 2022, Austin and Ryder had the idea to start a wall ball challenge for their local youth-based lacrosse organization in the town of Harrison, New York. Their dad suggested that the wall ball initiative be combined with a fundraising activity for the Jamaica Lacrosse Association (JLA), as his former college teammate had recently been named the Head Coach of the Men’s Jamaican National Lacrosse team, a group that needed financial support. As a result, that year, Harrison Youth Lacrosse players raised $7,695 for the JLA.

Through their involvement in the wall ball challenge and fundraising activities, Austin and Ryder learned more about the JLA and that the organization has limited financial resources. They were both upset to learn that many kids in Jamaica who currently play lacrosse, or want to learn how to play, cannot afford helmets, sticks, and protective gear. To help increase the growth of lacrosse in Jamaica, Austin and Ryder decided to team up and start collecting used lacrosse equipment here in the United States for redistribution to the JLA. Ya Mon Lax was launched in early 2024 with its first equipment collection drive.