Coon Rapids nonprofit sponsors softball tournament to honor and raise funds for veterans

Sunday marks the twenty-first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

For many veterans who fought in the wars that followed, this is an especially poignant time.

In Coon Rapids this weekend, that includes those taking part in a softball tournament with a mission.

“I guess proud to be a part of our country,” declares Haley Mathison, from New Hope. “But most of all, proud to be taking care of each other.”

With 103 teams, more than 1,200 players are going to bat in the three-day tourney, sponsored by the Minnesota Softball Military Appreciation Foundation, or MSMA for short.

A way to give back to military veterans and their families — who’ve given so much.

“It’s a great feeling,” says Ray Grabau, an MSMA Board member. “Some of these guys don’t get to see their brothers and sisters from the service that often.”

Grabau — who served with the U.S. Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, says the tournament is a special gathering — and a healing place for vets.

“And you can just see on their face how much it means to be around like-minded and similar people, and it does wonders for them,” he notes. “Softball is a form of therapy for some of them.”

The foundation, a nonprofit — raises funds through corporate sponsors, vendors, and a $300 registration fee from each team.

This year, the group has a fundraising goal of $45,000 or more.

The idea is to raise money for veteran support groups.

One of the recipients this year is the Wounded Warriors Guide Service, a nonprofit that plans fishing and hunting trips for wounded veteran — some of whom may be dealing with depression, PTSD, suicidal thoughts, or perhaps just need a social connection.

“It makes them feel that people care about them, and that makes a huge difference,” says Caleb Huss, who served as a U.S. Army infantryman in Afghanistan — and is a spokesperson for the group. “You got veterans out with other veterans where they feel safe — we really try to specialize in getting the community together, surround them with a bunch of people who appreciate what they did, the service that they did.”

The guide service is one of three organizations getting funding this year from MSMA.

The foundation typically holds the tournament during the second weekend in September.

This year, it fell on the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

An MSMA spokesperson says there will be a moment of silence on Sunday, before the games begin.  

“You think about all the people, what they sacrificed, what they put on the line to protect the country and keep it safe,” Huss says. “And I appreciate that service.”

The foundation donated $5,600 to the Wounded Warrior Project in its first year, in 2015.

Last year, the group donated more than eight times that amount, to three different veteran support groups.

Many say on this weekend, they want to thank those who’ve served — including Mathison, the captain of the Omega Anarchy women’s softball team.

Mathison says she was sitting in her third grade classroom on Sept. 11, 2001, when she learned about the attacks. “How many people gave their lives or gave their service to fight for us, fight for our society?” she says quietly. “To be out here playing in honor of them, just really awesome, and it fell on the right day.”