Vintage Hooks Are Tallying Up Hits For Former Sports Editor

The Newtown Sandy Hooks vintage baseball squad is playing with heart this season, tallying 23 runs to date towards the Hits for Harmon campaign. The local vintage team is supporting this unique fund raising effort in memory of Kim Harmon, the newspaper’s former sports editor who passed away last December after suffering a heart attack.

According to Ray Shaw, who helped launch the program, “We hope everyone who was touched by Kim Harmon will find the time to register for this program and enlist other sponsors to do the same.” The Hooks, as the team is called, play a full schedule of matches throughout the Northeast against teams from the New England Vintage Base Ball League.

Kim “Cool Papa” Harmon played for the Newtown Sandy Hooks, and remains Honorary Captain of the team.

The team is carrying the ball on this activity in partnership with Newtown Savings Bank, The Newtown Bee, the Newtown Parks & Recreation Department, and the American Heart Association. The fund raising program will split all proceeds from this season-long program equally between the Harmon Family Fund and the American Heart Association.

The concept of the program is to pledge a set amount of money, such as 10 cents, for every run scored by the Newtown Sandy Hook Vintage Base Ball Club through the duration of the current baseball season.  Based on the total runs scored in 2007, a pledge of 10 cents per run would come to approximately $20. 

At the end of the season all pledged donations will be collected, and paid sponsors will become eligible to participate in a special drawing. Hits for Harmon sign-up forms are available from all team members as well as the following locations: The Main Street office of Newtown Savings Bank; the Newtown Parks & Recreation Office at Town Hall South below police headquarters; at Church Hill Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation, 30  Church Hill Road; and at the offices of The Newtown Bee.

Anyone interested in donating items or gift certificates for service that will be awarded to selected participants in a drawing at the end of the promotion are welcome to email: john@thebee.com with the information. And anyone wishing to make a direct donation to the cause may do so by mailing a check payable to the Harmon Family Fund, and addressed to: Kim Harmon Family Fund, c/o Newtown Savings Bank, Attention Brian Amey, 39 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470

Using the three-part Hits for Harmon pledge form, any sponsor should fill-out vital information including, name, address, phone number and e-mail address. The form includes white (top), yellow (second), pink (bottom) sheets.

Sponsors must agree on donation amount he/she is willing to pledge. This can be accomplished by either choosing a specific dollar amount for each run scored by the Newtown Sandy Hook Vintage Base Ball Club in the 2008 season, or by making a direct donation as previously directed.

A pre-determined cut-off date for pledges will be determined and announced in The Bee and on the Hits for Harmon website. On that date, administrators will multiply the total runs scored by the dollars pledged and note the amount due on each pledge form.

Two special Hits for Harmon collection stations are scheduled to be open adjacent to the Main Street and Queen Street reviewing stands at the Labor Day Parade, and additional drop-off locations will be announced to collect donations as the program draws to a close for 2008. In addition, Hits for Harmon administrators and representatives will be available that day and during the week following Labor Day to collect donations.

Newtown residents interested in seeing base ball “the way it was meant to be played,” using rules of 1860s, can see the Bridgeport Orators take on the local squad Sunday at Seaside Park in Bridgeport at 10 am. The team returns home Saturday June 7 at noon to meet the Thames Club of New London at McLaughlin Vineyards.

For a full picture of the team and full recap of each week’s action, along with pictures and details on the Hits for Harmon program, visit the vintage team’s website at: www.vbbnew town.com.