PARIS — The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, more commonly known as REACH in Oxford County, will be hosting their seventh annual Police vs. Firefighters softball game at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4 at Gouin Field on Alpine Street.

The softball game, which is sponsored by Oxford Casino, will begin at 4 p.m. and will be preceded by a home run derby at 3:30 p.m. An official from Oxford Casino will also throw out the first pitch for the game.

Game tickets are $3, though children under the age of 12 can get in for free. Tickets can be purchased at the Norway Town Office, the Oxford Police and Fire stations and the REACH office at 1 East Main Street in Paris.

Lauren Dembski, Client and Support Services Coordinator for REACH, said that the Police vs. Firefighters game began after Norway police Chief and former REACH board member Robert Federico suggested that they host a softball game as a benefit.

“Rob used to be on the board and he said that the department used to do a game similar to this in the past,” Dembski said. “We get officers from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, the Norway, Oxford and Paris police departments. Basically, each department has officers who volunteer and they team up for the game.”

Though Dembski said that the game draws a large crowd each year, she added that it mostly consists of “family and friends of the officers.”

“Last year’s game had around 100 people, which is great,” Dembski said, “but we want people to know that this is an event open to the public as well.”

In an attempt to draw more community members in, Dembski said that REACH has attempted to add some new elements to the game, including games for children to play between innings.

“One game involves children racing against the Police and Fire Department mascots on the field,” Dembski said. “Another has the children running around the bases while carrying an egg in a spoon. We just tried to find fun games for them to play in between innings.”

Dembski added that the games tend to be “highly competitive.”

“We never have games that end up 0-0, with nobody getting any hits,” Dembski said. “Last year, the score was 16-15. The year before, it was 14-13. There’s always a lot of hits and people scoring.”

There will also be a series of raffle prizes given out, including gift baskets from Bath and Body Works, a $25 Gift Card to Golden Mountain Outfitters, a $50 gift card to Agren Appliance and a grand prize of $250. Tickets for the raffle will be $1 each or 6 tickets for $5.

All money raised will go towards REACH’s Personal Safety Programs, offered to students of all ages throughout Oxford County, said Site Coordinator Stephanie LeBlond in a news release Tuesday.

In the same release, Jack Sours, the vice president and general manager of Oxford Casino, said, “We are pleased to once again sponsor this fun event for such a meaningful cause.”

For more information about the game or REACH’s services, call 743-9777 or go to www.sapars.org.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com

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