Each year during the first weekend in August , businesses , residents and friends from Cranberry and surrounding areas come together as part of The Cranberry Cup to raise money for a local family in need .
The Cranberry Cup is most known for its charity softball tournament but the weekend of events begins with a golf outing at Cranberry Highlands on Friday , a 5k takes place in the morning on Saturday , and the softball tournament lasts all day Saturday and Sunday . The event utilizes all of the fields in Cranberry including its three parks — Graham Park , Cranberry Park and North Boundary Park . There is an opening ceremony at 10 a . m . on Saturday morning that all participants must attend , and the beneficiary family is recognized — usually arriving on a fire truck or by helicopter to make it special for them .
Each year , a different local family is picked to be the beneficiary family of the tournament — meaning the money raised from the year ’ s Cranberry Cup will be raised for them . “ The opening ceremony is always very special ,” says Ryan Maurer , who has been involved with the tournament for many years , and now heads his own team . “ Everyone is in one place cheering on the beneficiary family , and everyone has the opportunity to listen as the family talks about their lives and what they ’ ve been through .”
There are two divisions to the tournament — a neighborhood division and an open division . The neighborhood division is required to be comprised of neighborhoods inside Cranberry Township . “ A lot of the neighborhoods are the same every year , with different ones floating in and out depending on numbers ,” explains Maurer .
The open division is for everyone else — from businesses to old neighbors or a group of people just looking to play softball . “ This past year we had a neighborhood in the open division from outside of Cranberry Township , so our program is definitely growing ,” he notes . “ Between the option of playing in this division combined with the 5k and golf outing , anyone can be involved in the weekend in many different ways . There are some people who do all three events every year !”
Participation cost is an entrance fee of $ 500 per team , with a $ 25 per player cost to participate . The $ 500 is in the form of raffle tickets that teams can sell to raise awareness of the event . Maurer says that $ 500 is a minimum and every team exceeds that . “ Collecting donations is a big deal because the team that raises the most money can pick their schedule for the preliminary games of the tournament .”
To play in The Cranberry Cup , one has to be 18 or older . “ As a kid , I always watched my dad play every year and couldn ’ t wait to play ,” recalls Maurer . “ By the time I was 18 , interest in my neighborhood was lost , but I really believe in this cause , so I gathered everyone together and created the team again .”
Though the softball tournament is the largest event , The Cranberry Cup is not just a one-weekend activity . A board of dedicated members volunteer their time year-round to raise money to help families in need throughout the community .
“ The Cranberry Cup keeps me connected with the community and my neighbors ,” Maurer says . “ Everyone lives busy lives and it ’ s great for everyone in the community to kind of drop what they are doing for a weekend and come together .”
There are three different ways to become part of The Cranberry Cup — donations , sponsorship and / or volunteering . There ’ s a link available on the event ’ s website with donation opportunities year round . Additionally , there are many sponsors that donate money for the family , scholarships or even prizes .
The last , and perhaps most important , way to help is through volunteering . “ This event wouldn ’ t happen without it ,” notes Maurer , “ Everyone from the board who organizes it , to the team reps , the umpires , the concession stand workers ... all of these people donate their own time and love doing it because of what it gives back to the community .
“ The Cranberry Cup is important to me and to the community for many reasons . The event helps a local family who needs it . Whether they had someone in a car accident , a child who needs additional help , whatever the reason may be — they were nominated for a reason and need help . As a community , I feel like we accomplish that and much more .”
Visit cranberrycup . org for more information . n
Spring Meadows Team
Pictured ( l to r ): Matt Jones , Evan Maurer , Corey Moniot , Shane Moniot , Ryan Maurer , and Travis Moniot
CRANBERRY ❘ FALL 2018 21