Firefighters on first at softball fundraiser for injured comrade
Firefighters from all over South Florida laced up cleats and dusted off gloves to play in a charity softball tournament to benefit injured Fort Lauderdale firefighter Sauvens “Vince” Castelly. The Castelly Strong Softball Tournament attracted 14 teams of first responders and civilians for some games at Plantation’s Sunset Park.
Castelly, a 10-year veteran of the Fort Lauderdale department, suffered traumatic injuries when a vehicle struck his while he was driving home from his shift on May 17. Fellow firefighters are still finding ways to support their injured comrade, who was left paralyzed from the neck down. Castelly continues to go through a long rehabilitation process as the community stands by his family.
Mark Dewatt and Michael Dusch oversaw the Civilians vs. First Responders tournament. Eight teams represented the first responders, while six clubs were from the civilian contingent. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Florida Department of Corrections were also part of the firefighters bracket. The city of Plantation provided the softball fields at no cost for the charity event.
The plan was for the champion first responders team to square off with the civilian champions for a trophy. The victor ended up being Mother Nature when the finale was rained out. The Home Run Derby Champion was Cory Isso, who hit seven long balls for one of the civilian teams.
Joey Gallignani is a Fort Lauderdale firefighter and a self-proclaimed softball fanatic who plays softball three times a week plus tournaments. He has been a member of the department for 11 years and recently put together a department tournament softball team named the Cowboys.
“Vince finally came home yesterday from Atlanta, Georgia, since his rehab and we retrofitted his house for wheelchair usage,” Gallignani said. “He is finally at his home in Loxahatchee. Vince now has some function in his hands and with therapy he is getting better and better which has us thrilled. We couldn’t have done this tournament without the help of Mark [Dewatt] or Michael [Dusch].”
The Plantation Parks & Recreation Department helped with the event, too, preparing the fields from 6:00 a.m. and maintaining them throughout the tournament.
The Fort Lauderdale Fire Department softball team came out of the gate swinging to win its first three games before faltering at the end against the West Palm Beach Fire Department, who made it to the finals.
For further information on assisting Firefighter Sauvens “Vince” Castelly, contact Kimberly Thomson at 561-309-2820.
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