Players, friends gear up to Play Ball for Paul
Ball-playing San Diegans and corporate teams are suiting up for the Play Ball for Paul baseball tournament and raffle on July 28 and 29 at Mira Mesa’s Hourglass Field to fund-raise for locals suffering from spinal cord injuries.
Every participating baseball team will play a minimum of three games and enjoy an all-you-can-eat barbecue on the field.
Raffle prizes will include Padres tickets and admissions to Magic Mountain, the Wild Animal Park and Disneyland, as well gift certificates from local restaurants.
This fund-raiser, in its fourth year, will honor Paul Jacobson, a University City resident who sustained a paralyzing spine injury in a car accident in November of 2003. The money raised will benefit the Hospital to Home Foundation, formerly the Paul Jacobson Spinal Cord Foundation, which friends of Paul founded in 2004 to provide resources for him and other San Diegans with spine injuries, according to Cathy Nakanote, a University City resident and tournament sponsor.
“When perfectly able-bodied people are suddenly disabled, they face many challenges that they are unprepared for, like transportation, housing, care-giving and pain management,” Nakanote said. “And a lot of people don’t have insurance, so the foundation has been really helpful to make their lives easier.”
Hospital to Home awards grants to injured San Diegans to help them finance wheelchair-accessible vans, home modifications and rehabilitation programs.
The Play Ball for Paul baseball tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 28 and 8 a.m. Sunday, June 29 at the Hourglass Field in Mira Mesa.
To play or volunteer in the tournament or to donate raffle prizes, contact Jerry Russell, (619) 200-5308, or visit hospitaltohome.org.