Inaugural Annual Terry Demming Foundation Banquet Lays the Groundwork for 2023

The first annual Terry Demming Foundation took place on June 18th, 2022, at the Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The event was the first fundraiser for the Terry Demming Foundation, formed in honor of Terry Demming, who passed away in a drowning accident in July 2018.

Board Members Vincent Demming, President of the Board, Florence Demming, Treasurer,

and Victor Demming, Board Secretary with Terry's Teammates at the inaugural

Terry Demming Banquet

The foundation's mission is to directly communicate and educate the general public on the topic of Water Safety. The foundation will develop content and best practices on water safety and then distribute that information by developing and distributing a free mobile "app" available for download via Apple and Google.

Vincent Demming, President of the Board of Director's and Terry's father spoke to a sold-out audience at the June 18th event.

"My son Terry lost his life in a preventable tragedy. The Terry Demming Foundation seeks to address this topic head-on through content, technology, and through the joy of the sport Terry loved-- baseball," Demming explained, "The topic of Water safety is a significant public health issue. Over 3,400 people lose their lives in drowning accidents each year. Drowning is the Number 1 cause of death amongst children ages 1-4 years old in the United States and people of color are seven times more likely to lose their lives in a drowning accident as compared to people of other ethnicities."

Board President Vincent Demming addresses banquet guests

while remembering his son, Terry Demming

The inaugural banquet was attended by over 120 guests, and the foundation presented its year-one objectives:

• Develop content on the topic of water safety

• Distribute that content at no charge via a free mobile app

• Form partnerships with Public Health agencies to manage utilization of the app

The foundation will host the Terry Demming Baseball and Softball Invitational Tournament on Father's Day Weekend, 2023, in order to connect the topic of water safety awareness to the sport Terry Demming loved to play-- baseball. The 2023 event will add other fundraising events around the Terry Demming Baseball and Softball Invitational Tournament as a way to connect the memory of Terry Demming to the foundation mission.

The inaugural banquet featured cocktail hour, silent auction, dinner, and presentations. The silent auction featured a partnership with Wow Sports Cards Montclair and generous donations from Forest Hill Field Club, Watchung Hardware, Millburn Deli, Dot Reeader, Watchung Booksellers, and Studio D&G among other local businesses.

Terry's head baseball coach, Joel Dnestrian spoke about Terry's gifts as a baseball player

Noah Dnestrian recalls Terry as a gifted athlete and teammate

For the 2023 event, the foundation will host the first annual Terry Demming Foundation Invitational Baseball and Softball Tournament. The tournament will be played in Northern New Jersey and will seek to draw teams from all over the East Coast. Florence Demming, Board member and Treasurer explained, "We will start with a tournament in Northern Jersey, in the community in which Terry lived and thrived, but it is our intention to expand the number of 'Terry Tournaments' around the country in order to increase awareness of the issue of water safety in communities around the country,"

The connection between the foundation's mission and the sport of baseball was initiated with the first annual Terry Demming Memorial Game on June 17, 2022, at the Essex County baseball field in Montclair, New Jersey. Prior to the start of the game, the players gathered at home plate to remember Terry and celebrate his life and love of baseball.

Players from the Montclair Bulldogs, the team Terry would have been a member of, presented Terry's grandmother, Florence Demming with flowers following comments from Vincent Demming, President of the Board of Directors for the Foundation.

To volunteer for the Terry Demming Foundation's 2023 event schedule, visit www.terrybaseball.com/volunteer

About the Terry Demming Foundation

Mission

In memory of the life and spirit of Terry, the Terry Demming Foundation's mission is to communicate and educate the general publc on the topic of water safety. The foundation will develop content and awareness about water safety. The content created by the organization will be accessible and disseminated via a free app as well as through public health departments and public entities. The foundation also seeks to establish best practices and water safety for all individuals, particularly for people of color, who experience drowning and water accidents at a much higher rate.

First Year Objectives

Founded in 2022, the first step for our organization is to begin content development regarding water safety, as well as to engage with experts regarding safe habits around water in various settings, such as swimming pools, oceans, lakes, rivers, and bathtubs.

The Terry Demming Foundation also aims to deliver water safety information by partnering with public health departments to manage the distribution of said information to public entities and the public in general.

In addition, the foundation will develop an app for free distribution and download via the iOS Apple and Google app stores.

The Terry Demming Foundation can be found at www.terrybaseball.com.