The Colin O’Kane Foundation was established in 2017 to honor the memory of Colin O’Kane, standout lacrosse player and coach from San Jose who died suddenly at 25 from undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). “The Colin O’Kane Foundation is a donor advised fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF). Donations will be processed by SVCF, A 501 (c)(3) public charity registered in the United States, EIN# 20-5205488.

Contributions will be tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. SVCF will provide a formal acknowledgement letter containing tax-deduction language for your records.”

Lacrosse has become an increasingly popular sport in North America—its roots lie in ancient Native American game for over 100 years. Equipment costs and youth camp fees are expensive and the Colin O’Kane Foundation is intended to raise money for boys and girls who want to play lacrosse, no matter their financial situation for gear, sign up costs, and travel-related expenses for games and tournaments so they might learn and excel at a game Colin O’Kane loved deeply. 

The Foundation also supports men and women firefighters. After college, still coaching young lacrosse players at Palo Alto High, Colin took EMT courses and applied at the Santa Clara Fire Department, where he passed the difficult agility test and broke timing records in the process. He successfully completed all the requirements and Firefighter Colin O’Kane will always be officially recognized as a member of the Santa Clara Fire Department.

Scholarships will be awarded multiple times a year based on the fund’s size and the needs of the applicants.

For more information and to donate, please visit our Donation page. Thank you for your support and honoring Colin’s memory.