Happy to share this recognition of our very own, Carl E. Ey. Congratulations Carl, this is pretty cool!!!
Carl began playing slow-pitch softball at Mill Woods Park in his hometown of Wethersfield,
Connecticut in 1986. He has played and coached all over the globe from Korea to Cairo to
Northern Virginia.
“I just kept playing and coaching despite some of my peers teasing me about being a softball
junkie,” said Carl S. Ey, a retired Soldier. “When I came home from Iraq, sponsors were lining
up to support my teams. I realized that I could use the adult sports leagues to educate a
community regarding the challenges combat Veterans were experiencing when they came
home. With a great board of directors, we created a solid organization and kept playing ball!”
Today, the Heroes Athletic Association (HAA) supports Service Members, Veterans, Law Enforcement
Professionals, Firefighters, and their families in building new community relationships in adult recreational sports leagues. Providing the familiarity of peer-to-peer relationships on the field serves as an effective suicide prevention tool. Every HAA player wears the number 22 to remind their opponents and local fans that the Hero community averages 22 suicides per day.
“Carl had a vision to use the adult recreational sports platform, specifically softball, to educate the Northern Virginia community about the Hero community’s struggles with harmful behavior. He put together a robust board and we created a 501C3 to educate our adult recreational sports communities,” said Gino Yannotti, HAA Director of Finance. “We went beyond playing and created a community asset that our Hero-players are proud of and enjoy.”
Read more: www.wmhalloffame.com
Learn more: www.HeroesAthleticAssociation.org