Markham
August 21, 2008 09:51 PM
By: Chris Traber
Batter up!
You’re invited to hit one out of the park for a good cause at the second annual Birks ball tournament, barbecue and raffle Saturday.
The fundraising fest, which starts at 9 a.m. at the Carlton, Crosby and Monarch Parks in Unionville, honours the memory of late Markham resident Michelle Birks and supports an annual award in her name.
Ms Birks graduated from Brother Andre Catholic School, completed her high school career with honours and was the senior female athlete of the year in 2001-02 and 2002-03, friend and event co-ordinator Kathryn Rutherford said.
“In her brief 22 years, Michelle Birks created a lot of memories,” Ms Rutherford said.
In 2003, Ms Birks pursued studies in human kinetics at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. In November 2006, Michelle led her team to a gold medal finish at the Canadian Inter-University Sport Rugby Championship.
Ms Birks, 22, died from a heart arrhythmia in her sleep in February 2007. She was in her final year at school.
To honour her memory, Ms Birks’ parents, John and Anne, established the Michelle Birks Memorial Award at St. Francis Xavier University.
In order to support this endowment fund and honour her friend, Ms Rutherford organized the annual baseball tournament.
Individuals, teams, sponsors, donors and fans are invited to participate.
For information, registration forms and schedules, visit
www.birksballtournament.com or call Ms Rutherford at 905-758-1399.