Softball Ontario Announces Softball Association Fundamental Excellence Award Winners!

March 1, 2012

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TORONTO, ON - Softball Ontario is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Softball Association Fundamental Excellence Awards.  A total of twenty-five (25) SAFE Awards were granted, providing training opportunities for more than 300 volunteers across Ontario.

What is a SAFE Award?
A Softball Association Fundamental Excellence Award is an award of $500 for Softball Associations to use in one of four (4) categories:

• Volunteer Development
• Community Coach Development
• Competitive Coach Development
• Umpire Development

Softball Ontario’s new SAFE Award recognizes the efforts of local Softball Associations to improve its volunteer base, and helped Softball Associations to train volunteers for the 2012 softball season.  The SAFE Awards, along with Softball Ontario’s new Softball Association Fundamental Excellence (SAFE) Star Rating Program, help softball associations across Ontario improve the quality of softball by promoting volunteer development, organizational development, long term player development, and ensuring a strong link with Softball Ontario.  

The winners of the 2012 Softball Association Fundamental Excellence Awards are:

• For Community Coach Development
  • Brampton Girls Softball Association
  • Mississauga North Tigers
  • Orleans Amateur Fastball Association
  • Pickering Softball Association
  • Richmond Hill Minor Softball Association
  • West Carleton Minor Softball Association
  • Brantford Minor Softball Association
  • Nelson Park Softball Association
  • Bethany Athletic Society – Bethany Minor Softball
  • Grafton Minor Ball
  • Alvinston Minor Ball Association
  • Hickson Parks & Rec
  • New Hamburg Softball Association
     
• For Umpire Development
  • Drayton Moorefield Minor Ball
  • Georgetown Ladies Powerpuff League
  • Hespeler Minor Softball Association
  • Grimsby Amateur Baseball Association
  • Dorchester Girls Fastball
  • Port Perry & District Minor Softball Association
  • Waterloo Minor Girls Softball Association
  • Ayr Minor Softball Association
     
• For Competitive Coach Development
  • Halton Hawks Girls Fastpitch Association
     
• For Volunteer Development
  • Oakville Girls Softball Association
  • Topham Park Minor Softball League
  • Whitchurch-Stouffville Softball Association

“Softball Ontario’s SAFE Awards and the SAFE Star Rating Program will help us continue to reward great softball associations and set new standards for quality softball programs across Ontario,” said Rory Quigley, chairman of Softball Ontario’s Participation Committee

Thanks to the support that Softball Ontario receives from a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, each organization who is presented with a SAFE Award will receive a commemorative plaque as well as a cheque for $500.00 to support their volunteer training and development initiatives.   

In applying for their SAFE STAR Rating, the SAFE Award winning Softball Associations have joined the fifty-five (55) Softball Associations who have applied for a SAFE STAR Rating Applications from across the province, including associations from Windsor, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Barrie, Ottawa, and more.  For a complete list of Associations who have joined the SAFE STAR Program, visit www.softballontario.ca.  

Softball Ontario is the governing body for the sport of softball in Ontario.  Our goal is to promote and develop the sport of softball for its athletes, officials and volunteers by providing programs and services at all levels of competitions.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario.  Their mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities throughout Ontario by strengthening the capacity of the voluntary sector, through investments in community-based initiatives