Charity baseball tournament and fundraising competition benefit bereaved family (photo by Carmen Zaleski)

By Adam Hocking

Editor

STRATFORD — Baseball teams from Stratford, Neillsville, and Rosholt participated in a tournament on Saturday, May 2, to help raise funds for the family of Michael Rogan. Rogan died last month when a deer struck by another vehicle crashed into his car while he was transporting his wife and seven children to deliver their eighth child.

Money was raised via concessions, raffle prizes, and children’s games during the baseball tournament. In total about $2,300 was raised at the tournament, a portion of which will go to the Rogan family. The charity baseball tournament, staged by the Stratford Youth Baseball Organization, is an annual event and this year worked in concert with a “penny war” in which all grades of Stratford schools collected change and cash to donate to the Rogan family. The penny war raised just over $4,200, which will all go to the Rogan family.

“I’m so proud of our kids, the elementary kids chipping in with the penny war, our high school student council putting together some carnival games for the kids that raised money, our parents that are involved in the Stratford Youth Baseball Organization, and that sort of work ethic really is a hats off to the way our kids and our parents act,” said Stratford baseball coach Brad Grube. “I know that the grand total of whatever we give is just a drop in the hat considering what they’re going to have to go through, but it’s more than just the money in my point of view. It’s the way people help.”