CAN-Sirs Benefit Tourney Raises Money, Awareness

Sept. 1, 2013 – Pete Davignon Can-Sirs Executive Director

CAN-SIRS CORNER

By Pete Davignon



ELK GROVE, Calif. _ The 2013 CAN-Sirs Benefit Tournament here CA hosted 48 senior teams and netted more than $600 in fees and $2,200 in donations from supporters. In addition, teams that entered in the Dean Perkins Tournament in Hayward, Calif., donated to the project.

The Benefit Tournament also launched a “St. Jude’s Bat Boy Tip Jar” drawing to raise money for young cancer patients.

The bat boy idea was inspired by the article in the last edition of Senior Softball News in which Terry Leiden, author of the book “Back in the Game,” entered a team in a tournament in Georgia. During the tournament, a young man approached the team and asked to be the bat boy. He told them he was a cancer survivor and said it would be a privilege. He was welcomed and he also will be the official bat boy for the team. The team is called the RECNAC CAN-Sirs. RECNAC is cancer spelled backwards and is the name of the team in Leiden’s book.

We thought it was a great idea and started looking for cancer survivors to be the bat boys and girls for all the teams entered in the event here. We contacted league officials and found out that youth leagues play ball on Saturdays so there would not be enough kids available.

This hatched what became the “St. Jude’s Bat Boy Tip Jar” drawing. The morning of the tournament, Jeffery Kimoto and his son packaged envelopes with free tickets for the drawing and we distributed them to the teams.

While we were not able to get to all three complexes where teams were playing, the “Tip Jars” generated $834 for the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Thanks to everyone for their generous support. Next year we hope to have a much improved Bat Boy program.

We welcome anyone who would like to volunteer for the CAN-Sirs. There are many areas that we can use help. Organizing a team, building data bases, managing a Facebook page, writing articles, helping keep the website current, seeking donations for merchandise for our “Bat Boy Tip Jar” and other tasks that will help us expand and improve our mission of cancer awareness.

CAN-Sirs is expanding throughout the senior softball community. The emails and conversations with survivors and supporters are overwhelming. Some have told us that seeing our teams and publicity has convinced them to get medical checkups and take preventative tests. This message can only continue with your support.

Please send your donation to:

CAN-Sirs

2485 Notre Dame Blvd. #370-180

Chico CA 95928

Phone (530)-680-1614

Email: can-sirs@att.net