(Baltimore, Maryland) The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland in Baltimore County played lacrosse for 24 hours straight to help wounded service members around the country.
“There’s 10-year-olds playing and 55- to 65-year-olds playing. So, it’s all over the place as to what time everyone’s playing,” organizer Tyler Steinhardt said.

Steinhardt and his fellow classmates at Boys’ Latin figured out how to do something they love while raising money for a great cause.

Their Shootout for Soldiers event ultimately raised $105,000 to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project, which helps veterans like Ryan Major, a Towson High School graduate who lost both of his legs in Iraq in November 2006.

“It makes me proud to serve the country and have this much support for wounded vets and armed service members that come back,” Major said.

The shootout is only in its first year but has caught national attention. Even U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-District 2, showed up to support the event.

“We, as Americans, have to stand behind these wounded warriors, and we’re not doing enough and we have to do a lot more. The more we can call attention to these individuals whose lives have changed, the better it’s going to be. That’s who we are as Americans, and we have to do that,” Ruppersberger said.

As far as how the money will be raised, Steinhardt said he initially asked for $20 per person, but people gave more, and that means it could end up being an annual event, which he said is fine with him.

“So, I set my previous goal at $10,000 in early April, and I got that in two weeks, so I moved it to $50,000. Last I checked, we’re a little over ($40,000),” Steinhardt said a good bit before the event ended.

The series of 24 consecutive one-hour lacrosse games was held from 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Friday. The previous Guinness World Record for longest consecutive men’s lacrosse game was 13 hours and 14 minutes.

Copyright 2012 by Wbaltv.com