A third Franklin County athlete has been selected to compete and raise money for the A Shot For Life Program.
Greenfield’s MacKenzie Paulin was selected and played in the A Shot For Life Home Run Derby last summer and Greenfield’s Gloria McDonald was chosen to play in the field hockey showcase earlier this summer.
In September, Frontier’s Skyler Steele will join that list, as the junior was selected to participate in the A Shot for Life Home Run Derby and Pitchers Challenge on September 6th at BC High.
“I feel honored to have been selected for this organization,” Steele said. “Getting to be around some of the best softball players in the state is a privilege.”
Steele — a key cog on the Frontier softball team that reached the Western Mass. Class B semifinals and the quarterfinals of the MIAA Div. 4 state tournament this past spring — was one of 12 softball players from around the state selected to participate in the event. After being selected, Steele had to go through an interview process to determine if she would be a fit for the organization.
“I knew about the event because I did a project on it in school,” Steele said. “I was surprised when they first messaged me on Instagram. I wanted to do it so badly. They set up an interview and said I looked like a good fit for it.”
A Shot For Life’s website says that it is “a sports based non-profit organization that funds health and cancer research initiatives. Through sports-based initiatives, community in-person events and online activities, ASFL meaningfully engages and unites communities, inspires hope and teaches community leadership.”
While Steele is looking forward to competing in the home run derby, the goal of the organization is to raise money for Dr. William Curry’s Cancer Research Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, with ASFL having helped fund the hospital’s immunotherapy projects since 2011.
Each participant is tasked with raising $1,000 for the organization, though Steele hopes to go above and beyond that.
“It’s not just about the home run derby,” Steele said. “It goes far beyond that. It gives you the opportunity to do something good and make the world a better place. It’s fundraising and I want to be able to help out the community and be supportive of a great cause.”
Steele went through a virtual orientation that walked her through the A Shot for Life organization and how it provides key money for research.
Since then, Steele has created a template she is sending out to let people know about the organization in an effort to raise money.
“I find it interesting how the money raised goes toward taking a deep dive into stuff and putting money into research,” Steele said. “I just want to let people know that any amount that they can donate counts.”
Competing in the home run derby won’t be new for Steele, who has participated in baseball and softball home run derbies in the past.
While she says she’ll give it her all, Steele said the most important part of the event is the fundraising aspect, not who can hit more balls over the fence.
“I’ve done home run derby’s before and they’re pretty fun,” Steele said. “I’m most excited this time to fundraise all this money and give it back to the community. I’ll practice my swing before and am going to try to have fun with it but I don’t care if I win or not. That’s not what’s important.”
To donate online, visit the following link. Comment “Skyler Steele” where it says “Write your message” to allow the organization know who’s name the money was raised in.