Community Magazine August 2019

FREIDA SCHWEKY Sunday morning softball has been one of the Deal community's most beloved activities since the 1970s. Community members got together recently to spotlight Deal softball and do hesed at the same time. The First Annual Legends Softball Classic Hits a Home Run for CARE Spotlight On CARE On July 4, 2019, the inaugural “Legends Softball Classic” took place at Deal School to benefit a wonderful community organization dedicated to helping families of children with special needs, CARE (Community, Advocacy, Resources, and Encouragement). CARE was founded by a group of parents of children with special needs, together with community activists and rabbis. The organization’s goal is to address the needs of the special children and to help the entire family. For the past five years this program has been filling a void in the community by giving parents of children with special needs somewhere to turn. In times of stress, families reach out to CARE for support and as a source of hope and encouragement. CARE advocates for these families and works hard to help get them to procure the benefits they are entitled to. In addition, CARE sponsors different programs such as basketball leagues, sibling workshops, and parent and sibling support groups. CARE staff members meet parents and families of special needs children to help them to formulate a plan. CARE is known for its high professional standard of confidentiality. There is no automatic “menu” of services offered. This ensures that each family gets a plan tailor made for them. Families are treated with the utmost care and sensitivity. Staff members meet with families, inform them of the benefits to which they are entitled, and help them to obtain those entitlements. In addition, CARE staff members offer a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and a wealth of knowledge for these community families. 2019 Legends Classic Softball Tournament Champions An Event Is Born Abe Saka, the event coordinator stated, “We felt there was a glaring void in our community for a game with so much community history and one that we love so much. We saw this as an opportunity to help a very special organization raise money and gain awareness in our community. The idea was to honor past community players, ‘Legends’ so to speak, while raising money for a worthy community-based organization.” The entire event was dedicated to the memory of DJ Cohen, a beloved community member who passed away this past year. “DJ was a great source of inspiration for myself and many others,” said Saka. “As a dear friend of mine and several other committee members, we felt it was a very fitting way to help his legacy live on. The “Team Deej” logo on all the apparel at the events continues the conversation of the impact he left on so many people.” Event Day In addition to the softball games, attendees were able to enjoy activities for children, such as water slides and bouncy houses, a breakfast buffet, a barbeque lunch, and a marketplace where community vendors sold their products. A percentage of their proceeds were dedicated as tsedaka to CARE. The tournament consisted of eight teams, most of which were named for their sponsors. The team names were: “Team Deej,” “Prime Kosher Sports,” “Mazza Queen,” “Bawabeh Realty Holdings,” “Cherokee Jerky,” “Brooklyn Residential,” “M&S Softball,” and “Team SHS,” sponsored by the Shamosh family. The team logo paid homage to DJ’s love of dressing in costume to bring levity to the other cancer 36 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE