Event planned for Nov. 5 at CoolToday Park in Wellen Park near Venice
Tickets are on sale for the Nov. 5 2022 Celebrity Softball Game and Concert at CoolToday Park near Venice, which will feature Rodney Atkins, the nonprofit My Warrior’s Place and the Atlanta Braves have announced.
The event has been planned to raise funds for My Warrior’s Place (MWP), a news release explains. Each Thursday leading up to the event, a new celebrity and/or local hero will be named, the release notes.
In November 2021, Mike Dunn, vice president of Braves Florida operations, made the original announcement about the fundraiser, the release adds. “The World Series Champions of America’s favorite game are committed to America’s heroes,” Dunn said in a recent news release. “We are going to have some fun with softball and do some meaningful fundraising with a concert featuring country music star Rodney Atkins.”
“MWP and the Braves envision CoolToday Park packed with fans to watch as MLB, NFL, NHL; television, movie and radio personalities; and music stars play softball,” the release continues. Each team also will include local active duty military personnel, military veterans and first responders, the release points out.
Following the game, Atkins will perform an hour-long concert, the release adds. In 2006, Atkins was named the Top New Male Vocalist at the ACM awards, and his single, Watching You, become the No. 1 Song of the Decade, according to Country Aircheck, the release notes. He has sold more than 13 million units, the release points out.
The gates for the Nov. 5 event will open at 2:30 p.m., with the game beginning at 4 p.m., the release notes. CoolToday Park is located at 18800 S. West Villages Parkway in Venice. To Purchase tickets and find more information go to https://www.celebritiesandheroes.com/.
Kelly Kowall, Gold Star mother and founder of My Warrior’s Place, said in the release, “I am thrilled by the Braves’ willingness to help us.”
“Her son, Corey — like so many others — gave his life for our freedom and in the wake of his loss, she reached out to help others,” the release adds. “That is when I realized how many veterans, first responders and their families are suffering and struggling to receive all the services they need,” Kowall explained in the release. “My Warrior’s Place offers a serene setting on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where our nation’s heroes can find healing, support and camaraderie after trauma,” she added in the release.
Each program offered by MWP — from grief counseling to boating expeditions — “plays an important role in the healing and coping process, and the benefit obtained through these programs is priceless to the thousands of heroes and their family members who visit My Warrior’s Place each year,” the release continues.
Funds raised from the Celebrity Softball Game and Concert will help expand MWP’s existing facilities, adding 12 cottages and operational support, and creating a designated space for the newest program, My Service Dog’s Place, “so that no American hero will ever need to choose between their well-being and their service dog,” Kowall pointed out in the release.