Saturday July 9th and Sunday July 10th community volunteers will be hosting the 11th Annual “Gloves, Sweat and Cheers” softball tournament to benefit the Women’s Crisis Center.
The tournament will held at Brattleboro’s Living Memorial Park, with games commencing on the upper and lower ball fields at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning and 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Teams from around New England will vie for top honors.
Organizer Loretta Palazzo says, “We supply the Gloves and the Sweat, but we need our community to come out and provide the Cheers!” Funds are generated through team and player fees, snacks and goodies sold during the tournament, t-shirt and memorabilia purchases and a raffle. A “Karaoke” party will be held at The Mole’s Eye Cafe in Brattleboro on Saturday night, with proceeds from the evening contributing to the overall fundraising effort. 100% of the funds raised through this week-end long event will be donated to support the vital work of the Women’s Crisis Center. Founded in the early seventies, The Women’s Crisis Center’s mission is to end domestic and sexual violence against women and children by providing support to survivors and education for the community. Their services include a 24-hour hotline, shelter for women and children, advocacy, outreach, education and prevention and support groups. All services are free. Volunteer based fundraising is key to their continued efforts. “It is important that our fundraisers are volunteer led community events that positively impact women. The annual ‘Gloves, Sweat and Cheers’ tournament is a wonderful opportunity for the entire community to come together in celebration and support of our work.” says Lynn Smitley, Women’s Crisis Center Director. Volunteers interested in helping during the tournament can contact Loretta Palazzo at 257-6911. Donations can be made directly to the Women’s Crisis Center at P.O. Box 933 Brattleboro, VT, or by calling 257-7364.