Cranston West softball Field-A-Thon a huge success

By Pete Fontaine
Posted 4/28/16

It was an act of patriotism extraordinaire.

It was a lesson about life dashed with history.

It was an act of caring – to the highest degree – by two dozen teenage girls who gave up a Friday …

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Cranston West softball Field-A-Thon a huge success

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It was an act of patriotism extraordinaire.

It was a lesson about life dashed with history.

It was an act of caring – to the highest degree – by two dozen teenage girls who gave up a Friday night to honor past and present World War II veterans.

“Think about it,” Donald Giblin, a former United States Marine who fought in the Battle of Beirut, suggested as he stood and watched the on-field activity. “This is special; an entire high school (fast-pitch) softball team showing up to generate interest and possibly revenue for an important group of former military personnel.”

Even George Farrell, the former Providence Fire Chief who founded the award-winning Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Hub, showed up to thank the Lady Falcons for staging their unique softball-related event.

“I can’t tell you how important this is for our Honor Flight program,” Farrell began inside the first-base dugout. “What you young ladies are doing here tonight is unmatched; it will also bring more awareness of just how important these flights are for our living veterans who fought in World War II.”

Farrell told the Cranston West girls’ fast-pitch softball squad that since 2009 the Honor Flight Hug has taken 325 World War II vets to the nation’s Capitol to see their monument and other memorials dedicated to those men and women who gave their lives to preserve freedom.

Meanwhile, Farrell and others concurred that the 2016 Lady Falcons – a close-knit fast-pitch softball squad that has talents at all levels – clearly rewrote Cranston High School West storied sports history book like no Falcon squad has ever done before.

Although no dollar amount was announced, Farrell told the Lady Falcons how grateful he and other Honor flight officials – like Pete Smith, Paul Reed and Giblin – were about the effort they put forth on a night when, in fact, they didn’t have to be at the Brayton Avenue Park at all.

Because Cranston West is coached by Jeff Smith, whose brother Pete Smith heads the McShawn’s Pub Back Porch Veterans Association that last spring raised $8,000 for the Flight, he thought it would be special to hold last Friday night’s field-a-thon to possibly receive donations for future flights.

For three hours, Smith and Cranston West assistant coaches Dave Kenneally and Tom Carmody – as well as a number of parents like Keith Beyer – hit yellow softballs at four different stations that all but one Lady Falcon fielded.

In all, there were 2,340 hits – each being dedicated in memory of a deceased Rhode Island World War II veteran – that people like Farrell said were more than a special salute to past veterans.

Even Rylie Bessette, who is injured and couldn’t be on the field, played an important role in the field-a-thon. Once two buckets that were filled with yellow softballs were empty, Bessette placed a mini-American flag on the chain link fence at Sal Capirchio Field in honor of the 2,340 WWII casualties.

Meanwhile, proud parents lined the fence to show support for the Lady Falcons during the historic happening that really touched Farrell and other Honor Flight staffers who took in the field-a-thon.

“The school, the administration, the families and entire City of Cranston should be proud of what these girls did tonight,” Farrell emphasized. “The Honor flight program is a non-profit and survives on donations, no matter what the amount. The important message here tonight is that 24 young women sent a message that they were indeed proud to pay tribute to those who gave their lives to protect our freedom. And for that, we can’t thank you enough.”

The field-a-thon was organized by six sophomores – Marissa Cushman, Kelly Lambrese, Aris Degaitis, Caitlin O’Brien, Danielle Carmody and MacKenzie Beyer – and was bolstered by their terrific teammates Julia Hazian, Sophia DiMeglio, Captain Giuliana Hathaway, Haley Travieso, Victoria Williams, Casey Regine, Rachel Blustein, Taylor Guillmette, Keara Pedroso, Camryn Ricci, Captain Jenna Palmer, Madison Assanti, Alexis Coutu, Isabel Baffoni, Olivia Marfeo, Livia Feola and Alyssa Ragosta.

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