I just posted on Facebook about something near and dear to me, and then I thought "Hey! I have a blog! Maybe my 4 readers will want to know about this, too!" So here's a little bit about what the
Mike Perry Tournament is and why it's important, not only to me but for
the Special Olympians in Wyoming...
For those of you who
haven't known me long, when I was a sophomore in high school, my dad
passed away. He'd undergone a heart transplant in 1990, and I got a
bonus 11 years with him because of that.
He was my little league coach for our all-girls team The Angels (none
of us throw like girls and we all play harder than you). If I wasn't
careful, I'd get cornered on the couch with him and a HUGE baseball
encyclopedia, listening to him elaborate for hours on the stats of the
Greats.
I also am lucky to have two incredible siblings. My
older sister, Allison, has Down Syndrome. She was also coached by the
one and only Mike Perry, and she also doesn't throw like a girl . After we moved to Wyoming in 1999, she had the opportunity to get involved in Special Olympics Wyoming.
Not only has she worked for them as their Receptionist/Office Assistant
for over 10 years(!) but she is an athlete as well, competing in bowling,
swimming, basketball, and, until the early 2000's, softball. My dad
coached the Special Olympics softball team and got a huge kick of the
tenacity, skill, and enthusiasm of the players.
Due to
budgetary restrictions, SOW dropped softball from its program. This left
a gaping hole in the sports schedule for athletes. From May until
October, there are no opportunities to practice sports and be active.
So, in 2008, I founded the first G. Michael Perry Memorial Tournament
for Special Olympics Wyoming. Teams from all over the state practice all
summer for a one-day tournament in August. The tournament is
double-elimination style and includes individual skills competition for
those players for whom team play isn't ideal. People from the community
volunteer their time as umpires, scorekeepers, BBQers (mmmm the hot
dogs!), and cheerleaders. Families get to cheer on their players.
Teammates get to encourage one another. But most importantly, these
athletes are moving, competing, and having fun.
My description
of this event does not do justice to the feeling in the air on the day
of the tournament. The GMP might seem like a small thing, but it is a
great thing.
It costs approximately $2,000 to host the
tournament each year. The Perry Family hosts the event, and relies on
the generosity of sponsors and donors like you. Whatever is not covered
by donations comes out-of-pocket from yours truly
It's uncomfortable for me to ask you all to give to an event you don't
directly benefit from and that you might not ever get to be a part of
(unless you're in Casper, and then WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!). I understand
how much money $20 can be, and that it's just not possible sometimes to
give to everyone who asks.
So here's what I'm asking from you:
If you can and would donate by either purchasing a t-shirt or by making a
donation on the FirstGiving page, please do! If you cannot, please
leave a comment or email me with encouraging words for our athletes.
I'd like to print that in this year's bulletin so that they can see that
people all over the country are cheering for them! Time and
encouragement are equally as important as money.
Thanks for reading my charity manifesto! The tournament is on August 23, 2014 this year! The links are below:
https://www.booster.com/mikeperry2014
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/playball/mikeperry
T-shirts are on sale only through Sunday, June 22, but the FirstGiving page will be open until the day of the tournament.
Love always,
E
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