Organizers prepare for the 13th Annual Wings Etc. Toys for Tots Softball Tournament

The tournament will be held on Saturday, November 2.

FORT WAYNE, Ind.— It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas magic in South Bend, Indiana, where organizers are preparing for the 13th Annual Wings Etc. Toys for Tots Softball Tournament.

The men’s portion of the tournament will be held on Saturday, November 2, and the coed competition will be held on Sunday, November 3, at Byers Softball Complex in South Bend, Indiana. Last year the event raised a record-breaking $26,500 for less fortunate children in the community.

Wings Etc. is proud to witness the growth of the event and serve as its primary sponsor for the 11th year. Giving back to his community has long been at the heart of Wings Etc. founder Jim Weaver’s business philosophy, and area restaurants have served as toy drop-off points even before Wings Etc. became the tournament sponsor.

“Helping children have a brighter holiday season is one of the most worthwhile causes I can think of,” Weaver said, “and we’re honored to be a part of this great community event.”

The tournament has grown significantly each year, with 24 men’s teams and 25 co-ed teams participating in 2023. Teams have come from as many as four different states. The team entry fee is $195; most teams pay $200 or more, and many participants donate toys as well. The registration fee goes toward the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.

The weekend’s activities extend well beyond softball. The tournament’s longtime organizer, Mike Curry, has grown the event over the past 12 years to include the Michiana Chrysler Home Run Derby, the Armed Forces Battle for the Tots and the Annual Toys for Tots Ugly Sweater Christmas Draft Tournament. The 12-year total raised for Toys for Tots is $151,000.

“Mike is a go-getter and does a phenomenal job of bringing everything together each year,” Weaver says. “We couldn’t be more grateful for his efforts.”

This year Santa will make a guest appearance at the Byers Softball Complex from 2-4 p.m. on November 2. There is no charge to meet Santa or take children’s pictures with him, though participants are encouraged to bring a toy for Toys for Tots. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots bins will be set up all weekend long for people to drop off toys; more than 1,400 toys have been collected since the tournament’s inception.

New tournament jerseys, long-sleeved tees and hoodies will be available for purchase t

his year. Proceeds from the sale of these items go to Toys for Tots.

Wings Etc. gives each player in the Wings Etc. Toys for Tots Softball Tournament a $5 Wing Nut Bucks coupon. The winning team in each league gets a $175 Wings Etc. gift card, with a $100 gift card for second place; a $75 gift card for third place; and a $50 gift card for fourth place.

The event kicks off the annual Wings Etc. toy drive. In addition to collecting new, unwrapped toys at the softball tournament, Wings Etc. hosts donation boxes in restaurants in the Michiana region. Last year, the effort resulted in more than 300 new, unwrapped toys for children in the Michiana region, both at the tournament and via donation boxes in area restaurants.

“Our guests have been generous in their support of area families,” says Wings Etc. CEO Rob Hensmann. “We appreciate their willingness to help give joy to children during the holiday season.”

The toy drive will conclude with a banquet currently scheduled for December 14 at the Wings Etc. restaurant at 11480 McKinley Highway in Osceola, Indiana. During that event, Curry hosts a raffle with prizes from around the community to secure funds toward the following year’s campaign; in 2023, that raffle raised another $600. The banquet includes an award ceremony, with trophies for the winning teams, sponsor awards, and recognition awards for people who display the true meaning of the Toys for Tots spirit

during the tournament or go above and beyond to help out.

Curry will present a giant check to the Marine Corp Reserves during the WNDU Toys for Tots collection drive, currently slated for December 7. The Marines then shop for the remaining toys needed with those funds.

Tournament registration closes when there are 25 teams each for the men’s and co-ed tournaments. Teams can register by sending a direct message to  https://www.facebook.com/toysfortots.softball or by calling or texting organizer Mike Curry directly at 574-315-5082.

“It’s really important to us at Wings Etc. to build up the communities in which we do business and give back to the people who help us grow and succeed,” Weaver says. “So we feel really fortunate to be able to partner with Mike have a part in supporting families in the region where we got our start.”

Wings Etc.’s broader effort to give back includes a partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the formation in 2023 of the Wings Etc. Foundation. The Wings Etc. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization administered by leaders in the Wings Etc. Grill & Pub franchise organization and its affiliated companies, with the mission of “improving children’s lives.” See wingsetcfoundation.com.

The Marine Toys for Tots Program collects new, unwrapped toys and distributes those toys to less fortunate children at Christmas. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was created at the behest of the Marine Corps in 1991. To date, they have distributed 677 million toys to 301 million children. See toysfortots.org.

###

About Wings Etc. Grill & Pub

Wings Etc. is proud to celebrate 30 years of growth and good times this year. Founded in 1994 by Jim Weaver in northern Indiana, Wings Etc. is a family-friendly grill and pub featuring award-winning jumbo Buffalo wings, 22 signature sauces and rubs, dozens of TVs tuned to sports programming and a casual, non-corporate-y, laid-back vibe that makes people want to just come in and hang out. See wingsetc.com.

With 81 corporate and franchise locations, Wings Etc. has been listed among Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top 500 Franchises” every year since 2021 and was included in the magazine’s “Top Five Best Sports Bars” in 2021. It has been named one of Franchise Business Review’s “Top Food Franchises” every year since 2020 and a “Top 200 Franchise” every year since 2019. Wings Etc. has been included in Franchise Gator’s “Top 100 Franchises” seven times since 2014 and its “Fastest Growing Franchises” seven times since 2016; it was among the “Top Emerging Franchises” in 2023. It has been named a “Top 400 Franchise” by Franchise Times every year since 2021 and a “Top 500 Franchise” by Nation’s Restaurant News every year since 2021. See www.wingsetcfranchise.com.

The Wings Etc. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to improving children’s lives. See www.wingsetcfoundation.com.

©2024 Wings Etc., Inc. Franchises independently ownedand operated.

Photos courtesy of Wings Etc. Grill and Pub

Photo: From left, Jim Weaver, founder of Wings. Etc. Grill and Pub; Mike Curry, organizer of the Wings Etc. Toys for Tots Softball Tournament; and Jim Weaver’s wife, Fran Weaver, take part in the 2022 presentation of funds to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.