The field for the annual Clifford Shanks Memorial Co-Ed Softball Tournament filled up early, but the family running the event wants to continue raising money for a good cause and won’t turn away more help.
Started in 2015, the eight-team tournament moves to the Camden Point Ball Field this year. Games start at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 29 with a double-elimination format. There will be a rain date of Sunday, July 30.
Proceeds from the inaugural event were donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and last season’s proceeds were gifted to the Landon Jaros Family. Proceeds from the third annual tournament will be gifted to the Rose Lowenstein Foundation, Sophi Strong Foundation and the James Smith Family of Platte City.
Clifford Shanks, the tournament’s namesake, was a life-long Platte County resident. He grew up in the Dearborn area and later raised his family in Platte City.
An active father, Shanks supported his sons’ athletic endeavors and continued that tradition with his four grandchildren. He suddenly passed away in January 2015 after a short fight with a blood disorder. His wife, Karen, and sons, Chris and Tim, organized the softball tournament in his honor.
“Dad loved to play softball, and he played the game well into his 40s,” said Tim Shanks, a 1998 Platte County graduate. “The family decided to start the tournament as a small way to celebrate and remember his life, all the while being able to make donations to a worthy cause in his name.”
Clifford and Karen’s grandsons, Caleb (18), TJ (10), and Tyson (8), along with granddaughter Karlie (17) all pitch-in and/or play in the daylong event. Karen and her daughter-in-laws, Rebecca and Amanda, organize and run a daylong concession sand for the tournament.
Anyone interested helping with the event or to make a donation can contact Tim Shanks at (816) 916-6048. The public is also invited to stop by and watch and enjoy the concessions, as well.
More information about the tournament can be found on Tim’s Facebook page.