Friends Helping Friends Beanbag Tournament is Saturday

As the name suggests, a group of friends from Cranberry Township with a desire to help others started the nonprofit group Friends Helping Friends.

“We always wanted to do something like this,” said Todd Wearing, the group’s president.

For the past four years, the nonprofit has held an annual beanbag tournament to raise money for someone in the community who needs assistance.

This year’s recipient is Stephanie Hogan, a freshman at the who was diagnosed with juvenile nephronophthisis, an inherited kidney disease, at age 14.

Last August, Stephanie, of Renfrew, received a kidney transplant from her cousin Sara Scarpino, an Evans City mother of two boys.

After her surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Stephanie was too weak to return to her classes and enrolled in the district’s cyber program. These days, she’s feeling much better and has returned to the traditional classroom.

“She’s had her ups and downs, but most days she does pretty good,” Janet Hogan said of her daughter's recovery.

Hogan said she and her family plan to attend this year’s tournament, which starts at noon Saturday at the Marburger Farm Dairy on Mars Evans City Road in Evans City. The rain date is June 4.

The $30-per-person admission price includes food, beer, iced tea and live entertainment. Children ages 10 and younger will be admitted free. The event will include a Chinese auction, a silent auction and a 50/50 drawing.

“It’s a great event, and it’s a fun day,” Wearing said.

The tournaments will be played out on a slew of beanbag boxes built years ago by the Friends Helping Friends committee. The boxes also are available for corporate sponsorship.

Wearing said the group expects 150 to 200 people to attend this year’s tournament. Participants may pre-register on the Friends Helping Friends website, although Wearing said most people register in person on the day of the event.

Over the past four years, committee member Tina Muskey estimated the group has raised $35,000 that has been used to help others.

Hogan said the funds from Saturday’s tournament would be deposited in an account for Stephanie through the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, which helps transplant recipients with expenses that insurance doesn’t cover.

“This will help take care of her for the rest of her life,” Hogan said.