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THE JOE KOCUR FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE 4TH ANNUAL CHARITY SOFTBALL EVENT

AUGUST 4, 2012

DETROIT, May 21, 2012 – The Joe Kocur Foundation for Children will host its 4th Annual Charity Softball Event on Saturday, August 4, 2012, open to all communities. Duck Lake Pines Park, located at 1241 N. Duck Lake RD, Highland, MI will again serve as the event venue. Permanent bleachers will be installed this year to accommodate the growing attendance and interest in the event. Gates open at 10:00 AM for early access into venue. Additionally, free shuttle service from a nearby location on M-59 will be available for overflow traffic.

The day will consist of four games featuring a celebrity game at 5pm with The Detroit Red Wings Alumni and Detroit area sports and entertainment celebrities. Games are scheduled for 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm and will also include a little league game, a sponsor appreciation game and the law enforcement and fire fighters from Milford, Highland Township, White Lake and Oakland County. Opening ceremony and introductions prior to the celebrity game will feature Karen Newman singing the National Anthem and accompanied by the United States Color Guard.

All proceeds will benefit local children’s charities, comprising of Team Kendal Kidz, Wings of Mercy East Michigan, Far Conservatory, The Huron Valley Special Olympics and the Lakeland High School Public Service Scholarship for a student going into Law Enforcement or Fire Fighting in honor of the late Shannon Gaber Silverthorn.

Special alumni hockey and sports guests include Joe Kocur, Kris Draper, Dino Ciccarelli, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, Manny Legace, Eddie Mio, Wayne Presley, Brian Smolinski, Jason Woolley, Steve Avery, John Ogrodnick, Dave Lewis, Dave Rozema, and more to come. Due to the overwhelming support of the participants at previous fundraisers, all are attending the event again to lend their time to the causes they hold in the highest regard. DRWAA President Joe Kocur and Founder of The Joe Kocur Foundation for Children made the announcement.

During the event, attendees can enjoy food and beverage for a nominal charge. Hungry Howies & Leos Coney of White Lake have already promised hot pizzas and plenty of hot dogs. Exciting raffle prizes will be awarded during the games, while attendees can also join in on the silent auction filled with fabulous items to bid on, including tons of signed sports memorabilia and gift certificates to local restaurants, spas and services. Between games, you and your family can get an autograph from your favorite Red Wings or local celebrity. Kids will have their own baseball diamond filled with fun events and plenty of attractions from bounce houses and dunk tank to home run derbies. Various viewing bleachers and tents will be set up along the path near all 4 diamonds for attendees to watch and cheer their favorite charity and local public services. We recommend bringing lawn chairs as bleacher space fills up and we anticipate a crowd of over 2,500.

“The momentum for the event is building and in our 4th season, we will continue to exceed our fundraising goals as participation has increased.” stated Joe Kocur, DRWAA President. “As always, the main goal on this day is to bring a big time event to a small town that we are all very proud to call home.”

Tickets purchased in advance are $10.00 per person and $15.00 per person at the event. Children under 10 years old are free, as are autographs. All tickets purchased will go into a drawing for raffle prizes that will be awarded throughout the day of the event. Individual tickets may be purchased directly online at www.joekocurfoundation.com, www.joekocur.eventbrite.com up to August 4th. Tickets will also be sold through the White Lake, Milford & Highland Township Police and Fire Departments, Bakers of Milford, South Lyon Hotel, and the Comeback Inn of Highland.
In addition, six levels of corporate sponsorship with fabulous incentives are available from $250 to $10,000. Ameriprise, Hungry Howies, Leos Coney Island- White Lake, Oracle, and many more sponsors and donors have generously committed to partnering again with the foundation, while Pepsi and Meijer will serve as Title Sponsors. New patrons, donors and sponsors can inquire about pricing and additional information by emailing event@joekocurfoundation.com or calling Pam Ayres at 248.444.0300.

About The Joe Kocur Foundation for Children
Giving back to the local community through a collaboration with children's charities throughout Southeastern Michigan – “Fighting for Kids in Need”

The Joe Kocur Foundation for Children is managed by a Board of Directors. The softball event is championed through the efforts of an all volunteer committee and through the kind donations of local sponsors and donors. Each year 5 Michigan charities will be chosen as the recipients of the raised funds from the annual softball tournament held in August. www.facebook.com/TheJoeKocurFoundationforChildren

About the Event
Originated in 2009 and based in North West Oakland County, the event founders wanted to sponsor an affordable gathering which would allow all families to have a good time, while providing money to local charities, and ultimately keeping the community in touch with the everyday needs of people who may not be able to reach out and secure required support.

All proceeds for 2012 will benefit local charities:

Team Kendal Kidz – www.teamkendalkidz.com
Wings of Mercy East Michigan www.wingseastmi.org
Far Conservatory www.farconservatory.org
The Huron Valley Special Olympics www.thvso.com
Lakeland High School Public Service Scholarship – In Honor of Shannon Gaber Silverthorn
(For a student going into Law Enforcement or Fire Fighting)

About DRWAA
“Skating for a Cause” for over 50 years, the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association (DRWAA) is a Detroit, Michigan-based charitable organization dedicated to helping those in need of financial support and assistance related to a variety of areas, from medical expenses to service scholarships in-and-around metro-Detroit. The DRWAA members consist of some of the finest and noteworthy former professional sports players in the world, and calls upon an all-volunteer support team who are a diverse collection of concerned people from Michigan’s business and private sectors. For more information, please visit www.redwingalumni.com.

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