Brainstorming a fundraising tournament

[99&beyond]

My oldest DD (who plays HS ball and is a now a 1st year 16U) is a girl scout. (Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. She is only staying in it because it will look good on college apps.) She has already received her Bronze and Silver awards and she is working towards her Gold. (I told her she could get out once she finished that.)

The big thing with the Gold award is you have to do a charity event or something that will help others. And not just a one time thing, something that will/can be an ongoing thing and that effects her community or another community. In the past, many girls have collected books for 3rd world countries and things like that.

My DD's world is softball. We had been throwing around the idea of a softball tournament as her gold project for over a year now. Her dad is a firefighter, so the first thought I gave her was doing one to benefit burn kids. Her youngest brother has a bleeding disorder, so of course that was my second thought, since it is something that is close to her heart.

She has taken the burn kids as the charity to support. "Burning up the Bases", "Bases for Burns", "Bats on Fire"

Obviously we have never organized a tournament before.
*I know we need a venue. We play at several nearby parks, so that will just be a matter of getting out and talking to people and her presenting her idea.
*I was thinking maybe she could design a helmet decal (small, quarter-sized or so) to give to the players.
*She wants to design a t-shirt
*What about trophies and stuff? 1st-3rd?

Any ideas would be appreciated. She has about 18 months.

Thanks!!!

 

[chinamigarden]

Just a thought. If I was in a serious accident and was in a burn ward. I would be a bit put off by puns or play on words that involve the injury that I suffered. I would rather see Hits for Healing, or something else.

 

[Lozza]

Just a thought. If I was in a serious accident and was in a burn ward. I would be a bit put off by puns or play on words that involve the injury that I suffered. I would rather see Hits for Healing, or something else.

That was my first thought as well.

 

[Indiana]

I like the "Hits for Healing" title. You could get a local sponsor to donate "X" dollars for each home run. The charity tournaments I have seen usually hook up with one of the local governing bodies so it is a sanctioned event - ASA, USSSA, etc. That could also help you with umpires and a venue. Having support from your daughter's team organization will help give it longevity so it can be an annual event even after your daughter is off to college. I like the helmet decal idea, but an arm band or patch might make more of an impact - the teams could all wear them during play. A friend of mine just finished organizing a 5K charity run - she went INSANE with the sponsorships. She had food vendors, goody bags, a jumpy castle for the kids, Youtube videos and facebook links to promote the event - you can really go crazy. DD's dad's firehouse could do a fun video to get the word out. My friend's event also featured postcards with the theme and logo on the front and information on the back. You can mail them to every team organization within striking distance. If your team has its non-profit status you can get a reduced rate on stamps. Of course a super-cool t-shirt is always a major draw. I've always liked the ones that list every girl's name on the back - I'm a sucker for buying those. Good luck! My husband was a Baseball player first, eagle scout second (he was also in rocket club and math league )