JACKSON – The James Volpe Foundation will host its seventh annual wiffleball tournament and family day at the Holbrook Little League complex in Jackson on Aug. 5.
The foundation is named for James Volpe, who died in a motor vehicle accident during his senior year at Jackson Memorial High School in 2011. Volpe was a baseball player at Jackson Memorial and was planning to attend Kean University.
For the wiffleball tournament, there will be a maximum of 60 teams. The entry fee is $20 per player and there will be three or four players on each team. The entry fee includes a T-shirt, unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages, according to a press release. Wiffleball play will begin at about 10 a.m.
Family day will start at about noon. Activities will include rides, face painting, raffles and music. Admission to family day is $5 per person.
Money raised by the foundation funds scholarships that are presented to seniors at Jackson Memorial High School and Jackson Liberty High School who emulate James Volpe’s character, according to John Mucia Jr., who is the foundation’s vice president.
“Whether it is through sports or being a successful student, anything that shares the characteristics of the person James was,” Mucia said. “We also donate money to families who cannot afford to pay for their children to play sports … whatever the sport may be.”
Mucia, who was Volpe’s friend and teammate, said the support the foundation has received in the community is unbelievable.
“I have not seen anything like this at a real local level in a long time, maybe ever. I cannot thank (enough) the people who come out and play in our golf outing, play in our wiffleball tournament, come to our dance; people who come spend their money and time. These are the people who keep this thing rolling year after year and they are the people who really need to be thanked here,” he said.
The rain date for the Aug. 5 event is Aug. 6. If the entire weekend is a washout, the wiffleball tournament and family day will be held on Aug. 12.
