Crane Eater Community Church to host flag football tournament, raffle

KCaulder@CalhounTimes.com

Crane Eater Community Church will be hosting a Summer Flag Football Tournament and College Football Kick-Off Raffle to raise money for the church’s Mirror Image College and Career Department. The department is dedicated to serving students who have just graduated from high school and are looking to grow in faith.

Mark Irwin, who started the College and Career group nearly eight months ago with his wife and Calhoun High School teacher Angela Irwin, said that the funds would go toward sending youth in the group to events like the Passion Conference in Atlanta.

“We want to enrich the youth in the group by going to those types of events, and we really want everyone in the group to be able to participate regardless of the cost,” Irwin said. “We will also put the money toward more fellowship-type events like taking them on rafting trips together and things like that. It’s really about building a community.”

The tournament, which will feature divisions for both high school students and adults, will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 10 a.m. on the Red Bud Elementary School football field.

The raffle, to be held on Sunday, Sept. 1, includes prizes like a Clemson University football jersey signed by Head Coach Dabo Swinney and a University of Georgia commemorative football signed by Head Coach Kirby Smart. The grand prize will be two tickets to the 2019 SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Irwin said the goal of the tournament is not just to raise money but also to bring the community together in honor of local first responders.

“We really want to get the community involved, especially first responders like firefighters and police. They really like to put together teams and compete, and they’re so competitive with each other. It’s great,” Irwin said. “So we want this to honor them as much as possible.”

Registration for the tournament is $10 per player. All teams must have a minimum of seven players, and there is no cap on the number of members a team can have. The winning teams from the adult and high school division will win $250.

Raffle tickets are available for $5 per ticket or $20 for five tickets.

To register or purchase raffle tickets, contact Mark Irwin at 770-324-8312 or by email at mark@craneeater.com.