NORTH BRANFORD, Conn.-- Spearheaded by member head coaches- Jen Goodwin (Yale) and Danielle Henderson (UMass Lowell)- a softball clinic was held in an effort to raise funds for Danni Kemp, a sophomore softball student-athlete at Stony Brook University, who has an inoperable brain tumor. With 104 attendees and over 25 coaches from the Northeast, the Danni Kemp Fundraiser Clinic, held on Dec. 4 at the Connecticut Sportsplex, was a success as it received $21,693.50 in donations.
"This great event shows what a great support system the softball community is and has brought a lot of us together to help a family in need," said Iona head coach Melissa Inouye.
All proceeds from the clinic will go directly to the Danni Strong gofundme page
to help the Kemp family cover medical expenses as Danni goes through clinical trials in Germany.
“I’m really proud of all the coaches that were willing to come together for this great cause," said Henderson. "When someone in our softball community needs help, the least we can do is donate our time to help her cause. She has so many people that are out there supporting her. We were even able to get members of the Olympic team to face time her before our reunion game. It is incredible how many amazing people we have involved in the sport of softball. Our thoughts are with Danni to keep fighting strong and to keep inspiring others.”
"Danielle Kemp is a 19-year old Milford, Conn. native, a Foran high school alum, and currently a Division-I student-athlete at Stony Brook. As an avid softball player since childhood, Danni was spending this past summer the same way she has been for the past 10 years, playing summer softball; only this year, she was in a Brakettes uniform the whole summer. In early July, Danni was hit by a pitch in the helmet during an at-bat. As a few weeks passed, Danni began experiencing balance problems, trouble focusing and dizziness. Doctors had initially thought it was a concussion, but after an MRI was ordered, they realized it was not a concussion. After being sent to Yale-New Haven Hospital, Danni and her family were informed that she has an inoperable brain tumor in the Pons region of her brain. Due to the location, surgery is not an option. Danni began radiation therapy on August 29, with treatment following Monday through Friday for the next six weeks. The team of doctors at Yale are still working to come up with the best plan of care to continue with after the six weeks of radiation. The family is very hopeful for new clinical trials that should be available in the near future."
