BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — June 13 will mark the ninth annual Boston WIFFLE Ball Challenge, with all proceeds benefiting the Travis Roy Foundation and Franciscan Children's Hospital.
The event takes place at 5:30 p.m. at Boston University's Nickerson Field.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman sat down with Travis Roy and John Nash to talk about the history of the event--and what can be expected at this year's event.
"It's really a unique gathering of people from different focuses that are getting together to help out Franciscan Children's and the Travis Roy Foundation," Nash said.
"WIFFLE ball is a great equalizer," Roy said. "It doesn't matter if you bench 300 lbs or 30 lbs, both can hit a home run, boys, girls, men, women, all ages. Not only can you hit home runs, but the WIFFLE ball will also make you look pretty stupid if you're not careful, and that's the fun of it. It's nice to get out of the office and have a bit of camaraderie with your coworkers."
There may be rivalries, but it's all good fun for a good cause. The Travis Roy Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the life of individuals with spinal cord injuries and funding research. Franciscan Children's Hospital provides care and treatment to more than 10,000 children with physical, medical, and behavioral challenges each year.
Tournament has raised almost $750K dollars to date. All of the monies raised will help benefit Franciscan Children’s, which provides medical, mental health and educational care and services to more than 14,000 children with complex needs each year and the Travis Roy Foundation which is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with spinal cord injuries and funding research.
In addition, the event will celebrate the 15 year anniversary of Jacob Qua’s first admission to Franciscan Children’s at the young age of 2 Jacob had fallen out of a third story window and needed intensive physical and cognitive rehabilitation. Qua was unable to speak and had lost some of his brain’s functioning. After three months of grueling specialized and intensive physical and occupational therapy, Jacob walked out of Franciscan Children’s and was able to go home. Jacob would visit Franciscan again ten years later when he developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder that attacks the body resulting in severe weakness and paralysis of the body. Again, he would fight and is now completing his junior year of high school and looking forward to college.
While, the tournament is sold out at 32 teams, the event is open to the public who would like to watch the action, snack on baseball-themed treats and to meet local celebrities who will be on hand for coaching and announcing. Former NHL goalie Andrew Raycroft, Team USA Women’s Hockey star Amanda Pelkey and Boston singer Louie Bello will be at the Wiffle Ball Tournament/.
There will also be a barbecue, entertainment, raffles, and a reception after the games. For more information, visit bostonwiffleballchallenge.org.
Listen to Kaufman talk about the event with Roy below.
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WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports.