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s e r v i n g tay l or , ol D f or g e , moosic & surrounDing areas triborobanner.com | june 8, 2017
Geisinger Medical School golf classic is next week in Moosic |Page 3
People Loving Children Through Autism held annual dinner |Page 5
Riverside students won the junior high Envirothon |Page 6
KicKing for a cause
Annual kickball tournament battles mental illness
By Josh McAuliffe
sPeciAl To The TRiBoRo BANNeR
The tournament was started a couple years ago as a unique and fun way to raise funds and awareness for NAMI.
Want to get in touch with your inner child? And contribute to a good cause? You can do all that Sunday, June 11, at the third annual “Kickin’ the Stigma Out of Mental Illness” Kickball Tournament benefiting the local chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Beginning at 10 a.m. at McDade Park, the tournament will feature teams of nine to 12 participants playing the classic schoolyard game that has found wide popularity among adults in recent years. Entrance fee is $20 per person, and all participants must be 12 or older to play. All proceeds benefit NAMI Scranton & Northeast Region, a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides a host of mental health resources to the local community. To register, or for more information on the tournament, call NAMI at 570-342-
1047, email NAMIkickball@gmail.com, or visit the event’s Facebook page, “Kickin’ the Stigma out of Mental Illness 2017.” Organized by Matthew Silveri, Michael and Marissa Bennici and NAMI’s Owen Dougherty, the tournament was started a couple years ago as a unique and fun way to raise funds and awareness for NAMI. “Mike said, ‘How about kickball?’ I said, ‘That’s something we can do,’” said Silveri, a recreation supervisor at Clarks Summit State Hospital, which has programs supported by NAMI. “It’s just a way to do something for and raise money and awareness for mental health.” The kickball tournament has proven to be a rousing success. The first two events each raised more than $1,000, Silveri said. So far, about eight teams have signed up for this year’s tournament, and Silveri said the organizers will be welcoming new teams up until the last minute. “We’ll have over 100 people there. So that’s a nice turnout,” he said. “We’re happy with the way people are responding.”
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McDade makes for the perfect location because its multiple fields allow for several games to go on at once. Each team will get to play at least three games, Silveri said. “Kickball is something you don’t have to be the best athlete or in the best of shape to play. Anyone can come out and play,” said Silveri, noting players without a team will be placed with an existing one or formed into a new team. Trophies and medals will be given to the top two finishing teams. In addition, all participants will receive a free lunch consisting of hot dogs grilled by Silveri’s parents, potato chips, pasta and bread sticks, donated by the Olive Garden and water provided by Gerrity’s Supermarkets. Silveri stressed that you don’t need to play kickball to contribute to the event. The tournament needs umpires, volunteers to help set up and folks who can just come out and cheer on the teams. Rain or shine, the tournament will go on. With any luck, though, the organizers
and participants will be blessed with a warm, sunny day. “The last two years have been beautiful,” Silveri said. “We just try to have a lot of fun for a good cause.”
if you go
What: Third annual “Kickin’ The Stigma Out of Mental Illness” Kickball Tournament benefiting NAMI Scranton & Northeast Region When: Sunday, June 11, 10 a.m. Where: McDade Park, Scranton Details: Entrance fee is $20 per person, and all participants must be 12 years or older to play. To register, or for more information on the tournament, call NAMI at 570-342-1047, email NAMIkickball@gmail.com, or visit the event’s Facebook page, “Kickin’ the Stigma out of Mental Illness 2017.” For more on NAMI Scranton & Northeast Region, visit namipascranton.org.