13th Annual Wings Etc. Toys for Tots Softball Tournament Raises a Record $32,000

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December 20, 2024 // Franchising.com // MISHAWAKA, Ind. — It’s another big year for the Wings Etc. Toys for Tots Softball Tournament. Now in its 13th year, the event, held November 2–3, 2024, raised a record-breaking $32,000 for children in the Michiana community.

The event consists of a men’s tournament and a co-ed tournament at Byers Softball Complex in South Bend, Indiana. Last year the event raised a then-record $26,500. This is the 11th year that Wings Etc. has served as its primary sponsor.

This year’s tournament included 23 men’s teams and 23 co-ed teams. Teams have come from as many as four different states. The team entry fee is $195; most teams pay $200 or more, and many participants donate toys as well. The registration fee goes toward the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.

Wings Etc.’s commitment to Toys for Tots includes placing Toys for Tots drop-off bins in area restaurants. This year, the effort resulted in more than 300 new, unwrapped toys for children in the Michiana region, via donation boxes as well as at the tournament. More than 2,600 toys have been collected since the tournament’s inception.

Wings Etc. gives each player in the Wings Etc. Toys for Tots Softball Tournament a $5 Wing Nut Bucks coupon. The winning team in each league gets a $175 Wings Etc. gift card, with a $100 gift card for second place; a $75 gift card for third place; and a $50 gift card for fourth place.

Wings Etc. also hosted a banquet December 13 at the Wings Etc. restaurant at 11480 McKinley Highway in Osceola, Indiana. During that event, the tournament’s longtime organizer, Mike Curry, held a raffle with prizes from around the community to secure funds toward the following year’s campaign; this year, that raffle raised another $850. The banquet includes an award ceremony, with trophies for the winning teams, sponsor awards, and recognition awards for those who display the true meaning of the Toys for Tots spirit during the tournament or go above and beyond to help out.

Curry offers tournament jerseys, long-sleeved tees and hoodies for purchase, with proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots. He also organizes the Michiana Chrysler Home Run Derby, the Armed Forces Battle for the Tots and the Annual Toys for Tots Ugly Sweater Christmas Draft Tournament.

The 13-year total raised for Toys for Tots is $183,000.

Curry presented a giant check to the Marine Corp Reserves on December 13. The Marines shop for the remaining toys needed with those funds.

“We’re tremendously gratified but never surprised by the generosity of our community,” said Wings Etc. CEO Rob Hensmann. “They demonstrate the true spirit of Christmas.”

The softball tournament spotlights Wings Etc.’s practice of giving back year-round. The company is a force for good within the Michiana community where it got its start. The restaurants in the region have supported more than 75 local organizations, some more than once, via direct gifts or through the Dine-To-Donate program in which local organizations can earn a percentage of a day’s sales from a restaurant.

“This sense of community means the world to us,” says Wings Etc. founder Jim Weaver. “We truly appreciate the support that people have shown for Wings Etc., and we’re honored by the opportunity to give back.”

As a company, Wings Etc.’s charitable philosophy includes a partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the formation in 2023 of The Wings Etc. Foundation. The Wings Etc. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization administered by leaders in the Wings Etc. Grill & Pub franchise organization and its affiliated companies, with the mission of “Improving children’s lives.”

SOURCE Wings Etc. Grill & Pub

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