Community members can help raise scholarship funds for students in need by forming teams and registering by June 7 for the Achieve Your Dream co-ed softball tournament.

The Letting Education Achieve Dreams and Student Recruitment Department at the University of Houston-Victoria is hosting the second annual event on June 26 after last year�s tournament raised almost $3,000.

LEAD and Student Recruitment�s goal is to establish an endowment fund to generate UHV scholarships for underrepresented students, said Billy Lagal, softball tournament organizer and senior LEAD program coordinator. At least $10,000 is needed to start the endowment.

�We�re hoping to raise another $3,500 with this year�s tournament,� Lagal said. �College is important, but it�s also expensive. It�s our hope this endowment will help alleviate some of the financial burden that comes with advancing an education, and this tournament is a fun way to do it.�

All of the registration fees from the tournament will go toward the endowment, but company sponsorships also are vital since they brought in almost $1,500 of last year�s proceeds. Lagal would like to attract even more contributors from the community this year. The deadline for sponsorships is June 15.

�We know money is tight right now for everyone in this economy,� Lagal said. �We wanted to give smaller, locally owned businesses a way to get involved and contribute to the community.�

Sponsorships come in a variety of packages and range from $10 to have company logos appear on tournament banners to $750 to be the main sponsor on all event T-shirts. A new sponsorship package this year offers businesses exposure on the LEAD website for $75.

�Our focus is not only to provide scholarships for deserving students but to increase awareness of higher education,� Lagal said. �If we can get the community involved, we all benefit.�

The tournament will consist of 12 teams with at least 12 players each. Registration is $100 per team, plus a $10-per-game umpire fee. One limited-edition T-shirt for each player is included in the registration.

Each team will play five games in a round robin format to determine seeding, followed by single game elimination to decide the winner. A traveling trophy, as well as small, individual awards, will be presented to the winners.

UHV alumnus Daniel Goyen organized a team last year from Goyen Electric in Victoria, a business owned by his grandfather.

�We enjoyed the tournament so much last year we�re playing again this year,� he said. �There were a lot of close games, the competition was excellent, and all the teams displayed quality sportsmanship. It�s really well organized, and it helps us get our company name out there. But the No. 1 reason to be a part of an event like this are the scholarships. We�re 100 percent behind that and the opportunities UHV is providing for our community.�

The event will begin with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. at the Victoria Adult Softball Complex, 510 Proctor St. The first game will be at 9:30 a.m. The games are open to all spectators.

�We invite everyone to come be a part of a fun day that will combine the sport of softball, the importance of education and the value of community all into one worthwhile event,� Lagal said.

To register a team or for sponsorship information, contact Lagal at 361-570-4865 or lagalb@uhv.edu.