Memorial Tournament Fundraiser
On October 1st, 2016 the inaugural Frere Lane Linville Sorensen Memorial softball tournament presented by Iron Street Printing was held at Ferndale’s Pioneer Park.
The tournament, a fundraiser benefiting the Boys and Girls club of Whatcom County, featured 10 local teams and raised $1000.00 for the Clubs. It was organized by a group of friends who grew up playing Boys and Girls club rec league, played through high school, and some into college.
“We all grew up in the local baseball system, and we bonded through playing,” said Tye Hulford, one of the event’s organizers. “We wanted to honor the recently deceased fathers of a few of our teammates. Most of us have kids of our own now and when we looked back on our own lives, we realized how much our dads utilized baseball to teach us and help us grow into community oriented people, dads, and husbands.”
“Our dads started the tradition of playing softball together, so we all realized that it was a good way to continue growing our friendships into adulthood. It’s easy to get busy and distracted, and not make time for your friends, especially with young families” said Greg Frere, one of the event organizers. “It was a great way to honor what our fathers showed us about life and friendship.”
Athletics has always been a major component of Whatcom County Boys and Girls club offerings, and the organization continues to provides kids with opportunities to participate in sports and activities.
“This year was the first year for this tournament and seeing how the clubs have grown and what they offer as a service to our community; It was an easy decision to make them the benefactor of our tournament.” said Joel Bergsma.
The organizers would like to give a Special Thanks to all the Community Members and Business involved, including the field sponsors that made it all possible: