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10/05/2021 03:47 PMHeartwarming stories during election season can be hard to come by, but Westbrook High School student Jami Sacco has found a way: by organizing a charity softball game of Republicans vs Democrats on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. at Ted Lane Field.
The event is being organized by Sacco as part of her senior project. The game will be free to attend with proceeds from food and raffles going to charities that support Alzheimer’s and dementia care. In the case of inclement weather, the event has a rain date of Sunday, Oct. 24 at the same location.
The teams in the game will be led by the Republican and Democratic candidates who are running for municipal office in November. Sacco said she has already received commitments from candidates on both sides who were eager to put teams together. While the two sides are made up of political candidates, Sacco stressed the event is non-political in nature.
“I just think it’s a nice event to bring the town together,” Sacco said. “The teams will be as fair as possible.”
Sacco said the idea came to her while she pondered what to do for a senior project.
“I was really stuck on what to do,” recalled Sacco.
Sacco credits her father who works at Artis Senior Living in Branford with helping her come up with the idea.
Sacco said that memory and cognitive decline is a serious issue especially in the senior population, so doing an event to help in that realm seemed like a worthwhile endeavor.
“It’s just such a great cause,” said Sacco. “I really just want to do something that brings the town together.”
Sacco said that she pitched the idea to First Selectman Noel Bishop, who also liked the idea.
“I think it’s a terrific idea,” Bishop told the Harbor News.
Sacco said that she is still working to contact restaurants and other businesses around town to see if they are willing to sponsor the event or donate raffle prizes. Interested parties can contact Sacco by sending an email to jamiesacco14@icloud.com.