Michael Lorenzen Charity Softball Tournament Hosted by The Warwick Police and Fire Departments
Warwick, RI, September 10, 2019 – The Warwick Police Department FOP Lodge 7 along with the Warwick Fire Department IAFF Local 2748 is proud to announce that we will be having a Charity Softball Tournament on September 21st, 2019 at City Park in Warwick. The first pitch will be thrown by Zacheri Lorenzen at 9:00am and play will continue until a winner has been determined.
The upcoming tournament is open to any Municipal team from any town or city that is interested in participating. Local police, fire, teachers, and the department of public works are all expected to have participating teams in this event. If you are interested in entering a team to play, please contact: lorenzensoftball@gmail.com.
Community members are welcome to come out to support the cause and cheer on their favorite team. It is expected to be a fun and competitive day of softball for a great cause. Several community members and organizations have already offered their support including DJ SETI, Taylor Rental, Madeline’s Helping Hands, Budweiser, the Boston Celtics, Marcum, LLP, Brennan Orthodontics, Sports Legends Pub, Cos Apparel, Shane Awards, Inc among others. As a result of the widespread community support, the event will feature musical entertainment, face painting, a bounce house, a dunk tank, food trucks and fun in addition to the softball tournament. Many of the Live PDTM officers will also be in attendance, some with their K9 units. All of the proceeds for the Softball Tournament will benefit the Michael Lorenzen Foundation.
Michael Lorenzen was a four year old from Exeter who was diagnosed with Autism. On January 26th, 2018 Michael and his father Edward perished in a house fire in Coventry. All of the proceeds from this event will go towards the mission of the Michael Lorenzen Foundation; to award scholarships to students with Autism who are attending college.
More than half of young adults with autism remain unemployed and unenrolled in higher education in the two years after high school. This is a lower rate than that of young adults in other disability categories, including learning disabilities, intellectual disability or speech-language impairment. The Michael Lorenzen Foundation is working to change this statistic by providing for this unique community of students.
Kellie Lorenzen, Michael’s mother said about the upcoming event, “Our motivation at the Michael Lorenzen Foundation has always been and will always be Michael. We have witnessed the struggles that Autism presents and have seen the passion and dedication that propels these particular students. We are so honored to have the support of the Warwick Police and Fire Departments and are excited to be a part of this fun family-friendly event! We know that Michael would have loved to be a part of this event and meet the fire and police personnel. ”