Cal’s Angels supporters now include St. Charles Comets teams
Submitted by St. Charles Comets
When Tom and Stacey Sutter decided to found Cal’s All-Star Angel Foundation in 2007 after losing their son Cal to leukemia, they never expected that the foundation would grow to surpass $1.4 million in fundraising.
The generous donations and sponsorships from Cal’s Angels supporters has allowed the foundation to grant wishes and financially assist more than 325 children; partner with Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in the Heroes for Life Community Partners Program, sponsoring both hematology/oncology floors and playrooms; and, most recently, adding the St. Charles Comets 9-U to 18-U travel softball organization as a division of Cal’s Angels through their “Playing Ball for a Cause” program.
“Bringing the Comets travel softball organization into the Cal’s Angels family is exciting and allows us to expand our youth programs to levels we are just beginning to realize. This lays the foundation for our ‘Playing Ball for a Cause,’ program through which we provide real-life experiences to the players and their families,” said Tom Sutter, president of Cal’s All-Star Angel Foundation Inc.
“After the August tryouts, next year’s teams will be given the opportunity to adopt one of the families we have assisted and make them part of the team — the little girl battling cancer can become team captain and maybe even throw out the first pitch at tournaments,” Sutter said.
“This will also give our players, who are National Honor Society students, the opportunity to earn their community service hours. Our immediate goals for this program include growing the organization by number of players, bringing in additional elite travel teams and adding a travel baseball organization.
“Though we’ve been around for over six years, our story really is just beginning. If you would like to help in any way, please visit our website, calsangels.org, and contact us — we’d love to hear from you,” Sutter said.
“The Comets organization has grown a lot in the last few years, from a small community club to a group of strong teams competing at a national level,” said Eric Wendt, St. Charles Comets board member.
“We have always taken pride in teaching more than just softball. We are preparing girls for college and for life. Becoming part of Cal’s Angels allows us a great opportunity to get the girls and their families involved in something bigger than just the game. We look forward to all Cal’s Angels has to offer.”
The St. Charles Comets 16-U and 18-U Elite teams will now be named “Cal’s Angels.” These teams are looking for players aspiring to play in college.
Join the St. Charles Comets for tryouts (8-U to 18-U) starting Wednesday, Aug. 7. For information, visit www.stccomets.com. To get involved with Cal’s Angels, visit www.calsangels.org.