Fenske presents softball trophy to Weiser Police Dept.

 It took some time, but on Monday night Arrow-Heart Adventure Camps CEO and President Steve Fenske presented the winners of the annual First Responders Softball Tournament their trophy.

 The eighth annual tourney, held in recognition of the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York City, was held Sept. 9 at Memorial Park in Weiser.

 The tournament pits teams from Idaho and Ontario, consisting of county and city law enforcement, fire protection personnel, and Arrow-Heart campers, against each other to battle for the right to take the trophy home.

 Team Idaho ultimately handed Team Oregon a 39-25 loss. Fenske told the first responders that the trophy, which was being built at the time by Kenny Lukehart of Weiser, was not yet available, but would be awarded in the coming months.

 On Monday, he made the presentation to Chief Carl Smith and other Weiser police officers in front of the Weiser City Council during its regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

 Also in attendance was Team Idaho head coach John Stuart, who recently retired as assistant chief of the Weiser Fire District, and Arrow-Heart executive Brenda Lee, who is a Washington County employee.

 “Since 2015, when we first started doing our recognition of the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers, Arrow-Heart Adventure Camps has put on a softball tournament for first responders,” Fenske told councilmembers. “About three years ago I reached out to Oregon and I said, ‘You know, it would be really nice if we could get your first responders to go against our first responders’ and they took on the challenge. Unfortunately, that challenge was met with defeat (for Oregon) three years in a row.”

 Fenske said that during that three-year period of time, he struggled to get the trophy made to fit his vision.

 “Every trophy place I went to said, ‘You’re out of your mind, we can’t build it, it’s not going to happen, it’s going to cost you a lot of money,’ but I did have one made, so the waiting is over.”

 It is what Fenske describes as a “mobile trophy.” 

 “So, if Oregon decides to go against Idaho again next year, they may end up winning it and we’ll see what happens,” he said. “Kenny did a great job and it even plugs into the wall. It lights up blue to represent law enforcement, but also firefighters during 9/11, along with an Arrow-Heart coin.”

 All proceeds from the tournament benefit the Arrow-Heart Adventure Camps program activities, which are designed to develop character building and a sense of self-worth through exciting and challenging adventures for youth. The 10-month leadership program focuses on the six “C’s,” which include Character, Communication, Critical Thinking, Commitment, Courage, and Compassion. Arrow-Heart’s mission is to help young people garner inner strength and a positive direction in life through leadership and mentor training, and through serving others.

 For more information, call (208) 550-1755, visit https://arrowheartadventurecamps.org/, or check out their Facebook page.