The Lewiston-Auburn Softball Tournament on October 25th has strong community support from families

Sam Mills receives a side five from the Maine Mariners mascot “Beacon the Puffin” as she arrives at first base at Joe Walker Memorial Field in Auburn during the second Maine Strong Memorial Foundation Softball Tournament on Saturday morning. Mills plays for the Capsawn team, one of more than 45 teams that play on five fields throughout the Lewiston-Auburn area. The tournament continues with bracket play throughout the day on Sunday. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

About 46 teams, 50 volunteers and plenty of spectators spread out across three softball fields between Lewiston and Auburn on Saturday for the Maine Strong Memorial Foundation Softball Tournament.

The two-day event was created in November 2023 to honor the victims of the October 25, 2023 mass shooting and raise money for the victims’ families. The event raised about $207,000 in 2023 and is targeting $350,000 this year, organizers said ahead of the event.

The Tricia Asselin and Joe Walker Memorial Fields in Auburn on Pettengill Road and the Ron Morin Memorial Fields on Randall Road in Lewiston will be teeming with softball players, volunteers and spectators throughout Saturday.

Steve Palleschi, coach of the Chris Dowdy State Farm/Pope Cooling and Heating team, said the turnout in support at all locations was great.

“We are here to support a good cause and raise a lot of money,” said Palleschi. “We’re also here to get out some competitive energy and have a lot of fun.”

The team’s catcher, Kayla Beers, wrestled with her young son before her team’s final half inning. Beers, who was 14-2 against the Sons of Pitches team, said the competitive edge is tempered by the camaraderie surrounding the sport and cause.

“I’ve been playing softball for years, so it’s just another great thing we do around the sport to support the community,” Beers said.

Maine Strong fundraising and giving officer Chase Cote said the November 2023 event was designed as a 6-10 team event the week after the Oct. 25 mass shooting to raise as much money as possible for the families of the to collect victims. In the end, 25 teams and numerous volunteers took part in the games.

“At that point we were just looking for ways to help,” Cote said. “It was such a big undertaking this year that it’s basically the first year again when we founded it. This now gives us the freedom to do more things.”

Raelynn, seated left, and her sister Addyson Camara play in the sand Saturday morning as they wait for their mother’s softball game to start at Joe Walker Memorial Field in Auburn. The game is part of the second Maine Strong Memorial Foundation Softball Tournament. Her mother, Mackenzie Camara, plays on a team called Lash House from New Hampshire. In total, more than 45 teams played on five fields throughout the Lewiston-Auburn area. The tournament continues with bracket play throughout the day on Sunday. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Maine Strong Memorial Foundation’s application for 501(c)(3) status was expedited and approved in about a month in early 2024. The organization’s mission is to use a pool of money raised at events like the softball tournament to help families in Maine who experience unexpected tragedies, Cote said. While other events have not yet taken place, the organization hopes to plan at least three per year starting in 2025.

“We don’t have anything set in stone,” Cote said. “We played around with all sorts of ideas, a golf scramble, a cornhole … with softball being the main focus with the raffle and everything else.”

This year the event was much better organized, attracting 46 teams and 50 volunteers, Cote said. Although the total amount of money raised was not available, Cote said donations were already over $25,000 before the event began.

The Maine Strong Memorial Foundation has been transparent about its fundraising since the beginning and plans to release numbers as quickly as possible. However, distributing the funds requires time in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office “because we want to make sure they go to the right people.” Cote said this year’s funds will go to the same recipients as last year, namely the 18 of the Shooting affected families, with the additional recipient being the Maine Resiliency Foundation. Maine Strong will also retain a portion of the funds to cover the costs of future events.

“We don’t want people to forget what happened because it happens so often these days,” Cote said. “Our goal is to help more families in Maine, and all of our resources stay directly in the state of Maine. There’s nothing like what we’re doing out there and we’re just getting started.”

The softball tournament continues with bracket games on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, see www.mainestrongfoundation.org/.

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