Cornhole Tournament in Raymond, NH to Benefit Mentoring Program, Special Olympians

Students from Raymond High School are hosting a cornhole tournament on Saturday to raise money for Special Olympics New Hampshire and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire.

Bill Hayes teaches at the high school and serves as the school’s unified program coordinator and coach. The RHS “Ram-guins” Penguin Plunge team raised more than $37,000 in the 2021 “Do-It-Yourself” Penguin Plunge made necessary by the pandemic.

Normally, the plunge is held in the winter and participants run into the icy Atlantic Ocean to raise money. There is an event specifically for high school students.

Vice President of Development for Special Olympics New Hampshire Carol Cray calls Hayes a champion for the organization.

“Not only does he lead hundreds of high school students into the icy waters to raise funds for SONH athletes across the state but has been doing it for years. We’re proud to be alongside BBBSNH as one of Bill’s charities of choice,” Cray said in a statement.

Special Olympic athletes have been participating in Hope Challenges since they cannot get together to compete. Typically, there are Summer Games held at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

This photo is of an athlete playing bocce in 2018.

Hayes is quick to credit the students with the fundraising efforts. He is looking forward to meeting the people who come out on Saturday.

“Play some Cornhole, win some great prizes, have some great food, and meet some of the greatest students on the planet!" Hayes said in a statement.

Linda Carter, special events and business engagement coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire, said they are excited to be a part of the event.

“This tournament will be an exciting day of friendly competition to raise awareness for youth mentoring," Carter said in a statement.

During the pandemic, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire were the eyes and ears in the community for many organizations because they were still making matches, according to CEO Stacy Kramer.

Kramer and a match were featured on the first episode of a Wellness Connections podcast series produced by the Community Alliance for Teen Safety in Derry.

"The urgency is there, it always has been. I think COVID has shed even more of a light on the impact mentoring can have and that when everything was closing, we were still open. We were still making matches. We were still out there," Kramer said.

Kramer said they could use more male mentors who are willing to be big brothers for the organization.

The cornhole tournament starts at 10 a.m. at the Iber Holmes Middle School located at 1 Stephen K. Batchelder Parkway in Raymond. This will be a double-elimination tournament.

Tournament play is for ages 14 and older with a $30 per person registration fee. There will be a non-tournament cornhole play area for those under 14.

Players and friends can purchase food, Coca-Cola beverages and participate in a 50-50 raffle.

Registration and information for the Cornhole Tournament is at https://give.bbbsnh.org/event/2021-cornhole-tournament/e341382.

Contact Managing News Editor Kimberley Haas at Kimberley.Haas@townsquaremedia.com.