Old Timers Softball League goes to bat for cancer patients

CATSKILL—There is something about America’s pastime that has always made it a little more than a game.

For the men of the Catskill Old Timers Softball League, that has become especially true when it comes to helping their neighbors.

For several years now, the league has supported the Greene County Women's League by raising money in the fight against cancer. What began as a way for a group of local ball players to honor a painful loss has grown into an annual effort that brings together players, local businesses and spectators in support of a cause that hits close to home.

This year, the league presented a check for $1,400 to the Women’s League.

Don Parshley, a member of the league and a player on the team representing Kelly's Pharmacy in Greenville, said the fundraiser has become something that matters deeply to the players.

"This charity means something to me, to the team and to the league," Parshley said.

The tradition began around the time league commissioner and coach Alan “Zeke” Zwaboda experienced the devastating loss of his son to cancer.

Instead of allowing that loss to remain a painful memory, the league found a way to turn its love of the game and its connection to the community into something positive.

The fundraising effort officially gets underway during the league's All-Star Game, where players have the opportunity to contribute themselves and help collect donations from others.

This year, Zwaboda said, he walked away from the All-Star Game with $600 donated by just 22 players.

"These are all men that have families and things are really tough right now," Zwaboda said. "Yet they still chose to give."

That's part of what makes the annual fundraiser meaningful. Donations have come not only from the players themselves, but also from local businesses and spectators who have watched the games and decided to throw a few dollars toward the cause.

Together, those contributions have once again added up to something substantial.

For Parshley and his fellow Old Timers, the fundraiser is a reminder that the league is about more than what happens around the bases. It's about people.

The Greene County Women’s League traces its roots to 1970 after one of its founding members was diagnosed with cancer and quickly found out how much it cost to treat the disease.

Since then, the non-profit has been financially assisting anyone in Greene County who is battling cancer. They allow each patient $5,000 to pay for doctors, pharmacies, hospital bills, wigs, prosthetics, and other healthcare essentials.

According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 40% of all men and women will get a form of cancer during their lifetime. Nearly two million people in the United States will be diagnosed this year alone and there are more than 17 million Americans living with cancer right now.

For the Old Timers, always seeking new players, another season has once again produced something that won't show up in the standings: a little more help for their community and a little more hope for a fight that has touched so many families.