For the engineers, accountants, attorneys, IT specialists, and various other professional types who participate—the Southpointe Corporate Cup is a chance to shed the suit, don some shorts, and nail your competitors with a well thrown dodgeball at the Printscape Arena. And, it’s all for a great cause.
Local attorney Britt Freund and his wife Denise are the co-chairs of the event. They are also the parents of two sons, one of whom has cystic fibrosis.
“Brayden is our youngest son, he is now 11. Soon after he was born, he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis,” says Britt.
It was devastating news. “When we got the diagnosis, I think they said sort of “take heart, because the average life span is now 37,” remembers Britt.
“But that’s not what you want to hear when you’re holding your infant,” says Denise.
They threw themselves into learning more about their son’s condition, and connected with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Today, they actively work with that organization to raise awareness and critically important research dollars.
“The Southpointe Corporate Cup has turned into a really successful fundraiser for us. The first year we raised $31,000, last year we were able to fundraise a total of $74,000 and this year was our best year ever, we raised approximately $90,000,” says Britt.
The participation of companies in and around the Southpointe business park is a critical component of the event’s success. The Freunds also point to the early support they received Range Resources.
“Range Resources was a big part of our decision to do a Corporate Cup. They’ve supported the Foundation for many years, and immediately got behind this event too. We couldn’t have done it without their help in all honesty,” says Denise.
Range’s Alexis Ondash has been captaining the Range team for the last three years.
“We participate along with another 15 to 16 companies in Southpointe,” says Alexis. “Competing in dodgeball, trivia, broomball, cornhole, tug of war—and whoever wins gets the coveted corporate cup.”
She says the competition is fierce.
“It’s all in good fun, and we work with everyone here, but it does get very competitive. And we are here to win!”
This year, for the first time, Range was named the 2018 Corporate Cup Champion. But while it makes for fun bragging rights, Alexis is quick to point out that the real winner is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the families who benefit from critical research the Foundation helps to fund. “Raising money, helping those affected with CF, and personally helping the Freund family—that’s what it’s really all about.”
Range Senior Vice President Scott Roy shares that assessment. “I was first introduced to the CF Foundation nine years ago, I had just arrived at Range and was invited to participate in a fly fishing tournament …as a life-long fly fisherman, it sounded like a great idea. I didn’t know much about cystic fibrosis, or the Foundation that is working hard to cure that disease. What I found out is there are quite a number of families and children with cystic fibrosis in the immediate area. And I was so impressed by their courage and optimism. The Foundation is doing great work. And when we think annually about what organizations to support, they are always at the top of our list.”
The Freunds are grateful to the companies and employees who devote time and passion toward the Southpointe Corporate Cup. “When you see a group of people that are for the most part strangers, that are there supporting your child with CF, it just means so much. Because of the dollars they’re helping to raise and the work the Foundation is doing, we don’t think that cystic fibrosis is going to end Brayden’s life—which is not how parents before us had to view the disease.”
“This event has been a real blessing,” continues Denise. “In the back of our minds, the whole time we’re doing it, is Brayden. And we want to thank Range Resources and the entire Southpointe community for their support.”