2nd annual Hannah Graham Memorial Softball Tournament raising money for charity

Hannah Graham (Mount Vernon Magic Softball image)

This year’s Hannah Graham Memorial Softball Tournament will be held Sept. 23-24, and has already raised thousands of dollars for a pair of charities.

All proceeds from this year’s tournament will go to Alice’s Kids, a Richmond Highway-based charity that provides small items to improve the everyday lives of disadvantaged children, and Green Dot Inc., an organization that aims to reduce violence. The two charities were selected by Graham’s parents, Sue and John Graham. 

Donations can be made online at the tournament’s GoFundMe page, which has raised nearly $8,000 already. Individual and company sponsorships are also available, and will be included in the program distributed at the tournament and a remembrance ceremony Saturday evening at Walt Whitman Middle School. Sponsorships must be received by Thursday, September 21. A sponsorship form can be downloaded here.

Graham, a 2013 West Potomac High School graduate, was murdered in 2014 in Charlottesville while attending the University of Virginia. Her killer is serving life in prison. 

This is the second year of the tournament, which seeks to honors Graham’s memory, love of life, learning and athletics. Growing up in the Richmond Highway area, she was a standout softball player at West Potomac, as well as for the Mount Vernon Magic travel softball program and the Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association.

Last year’s tournament raised $28,000 for Habitat for Humanity and the Blue Ridge Mountain Group.

There will be 16 teams playing in this year’s tournament. The 16U division games will be played at Walt Whitman Middle School, while the 18U division games will be played at McNaughton Park on Pole Road. Saturday’s games will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday’s games will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A remembrance ceremony will be held Saturday at 6 p.m. at Walt Whitman.