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Cutters to help make dream come true

July 7, 2005 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
New Haven County Cutters News Release


July 6, 2005, New Haven, CT - Softball has become a perfect vehicle for continuing the mission of Fellowship Place, a non-profit organization devoted to helping adults recover from mental illness. Fellowship is a clubhouse model of rehabilitation, where members are not "patients", rather unique and talented individuals taking control of their lives -- mapping out plans for education, career development, creative expression, and the patterns and positive structure of daily living ? in order to overcome enormous odds.

The CT Mental Health Awareness Softball League was established as the first softball league in CT to encourage socialization, promote positive public awareness for individuals with psychiatric disabilities and reduce the stigma often associated with mental illness. The league was conceived out of a tragic event in 1989 when a mental patient on leave from a state hospital killed a young girl from CT. The tragedy was seen as an opportunity to change minds about mental illness. A softball tournament was organized and raised money for a camp fund in the girl's memory. From that grew the CT Mental Health Awareness Softball League, with nine teams across CT.

John, a Fellowship Place member, has had a life long dream to become a professional sports announcer. Situations in his life kept him from pursuing and realizing his dream. John "announces, play by play, the hits, runs, and errors out loud to an audience of usually 20 people - without a microphone to anyone who will listen" at each one of Fellowship's softball games. He also keeps an accurate score on a chalk board, and displays it between innings. John is a role model for his peers, an exemplary Fellowship member, and a testament to dealing with what life dealt him.

On Wednesday, July 13th, John's dream will come true and the community is invited. New Haven County Cutters' minor league baseball team has agreed to have John announce an inning of a home game with Cutters?' broadcaster Brian Irizarry, at the Yale Field. The Cutters' website, www.CuttersBaseball.com, will carry the broadcast. John will also be sharing the microphone with Cutters' public address announcer Stephen Colvin.

Game time is 7:05.

Fellowship Place started 45 years ago as a social club for people with severe mental illness. It stands today with a full campus as a model rehabilitation center, with a 22 member Board, offering its 500 members social activities, life skills and educational training, and vocational support in order for them to return to a productive life in the community, and find meaningful and valuable roles in society.

For more information, please call Sue Spight at 203-401-4227, extension 141.

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