TRUSSVILLE, Ala. – Over 75 teams ranging from 8-Under to 18-Under gathered at the fifth-annual Maggie’s “Rules for Life” softball tournament taking place across three complexes in Alabama – Hoover Sports Park Central, Leeds Memorial Park and Trussville Youth Sports Complex. The memorial event was created in honor of six-year-old Maggie Bowles who passed away after suffering traumatic injuries resulting from a car accident in July 2017. Hosted by USA Softball of Alabama in conjunction with the Maggie’s Kindness Foundation, the tournament serves as a celebration of life and a reminder that the sport of softball is much more than just a game.
“It was an honor for USA Softball of Alabama to be asked by the Bowles’ to partner on this event a few years back,” said Commissioner for USA Softball of Alabama, Tracy Morgan. “Teams come from all over Alabama, and even neighboring states, to play in the Maggie’s ‘Rules for Life’ tournament. From the teams, parks, umpires, staff, volunteers, sponsors and fans, it is a collaborative effort to pull this event together and make it a success – a success meaning that it touches the lives of other children, the local community and our entire softball family. To see the impact this tournament has on so many exemplifies the fact that this is about more than just a game. It’s a true blessing for us to be a part of this annual celebration of Maggie’s life and one that motivates me and USA Softball of Alabama in what we do every day.”
Maggie loved to play softball and was fully invested in everything that came along with it – dirt piles, base hits, laughing with friends and getting candy at the concessions stand. An only child with two loving parents, she was part of a family at the ballpark and the players on her team had become her softball sisters. Going into her first 8-Under season, she had two goals: Learn how to “hit it to the outfield” and pitch. Unfortunately, those goals were never able to be met as her story came to a tragic end in July of 2017. While running an errand to buy a new school lunch box with her dad, the two were rear-ended by a distracted driver, causing Maggie to be transported to Children’s Hospital of Alabama where she was treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for several days. Maggie passed away on July 14, 2017.
While in the hospital, the softball community rallied around Maggie’s family, giving her parents – Kelly and Shawn – much needed strength during a trying time. Receiving such good care from the PICU as well, the Bowles decided to honor Maggie and give back to those who supported the family through a softball tournament benefiting the Children’s PICU while also instituting the Maggie Grace Bowles Memorial Softball Scholarship. The Maggie’s Kindness Foundation was then founded with a mission to promote kindness of young athletes through sportsmanship and development of student-athletes through scholarship while helping and supporting the emotional needs of children and their families in medical crisis.
Prior to her passing, Maggie had written what she believed to be “Rules for Life”, which then became the inspiration behind the Maggie’s “Rules for Life” softball tournament hosted by USA Softball of Alabama. The rules are posted each year throughout the complexes – in Maggie’s handwriting – while also being printed on t-shirts, lanyards and more to serve as an encouragement and reminder to see life the way Maggie did.
Since the tournament’s inaugural year in 2019, Maggie’s Kindness Foundation has raised over $97,000 through donations, team participation, t-shirt sales and gate fees with the 2023 event producing an astounding $40,000 – all of which is donated to the Children’s of Alabama PICU for various needs and expenses. This year, the PICU’s greatest need and priority was to acquire a dedicated cooling blanket to be used for the Pediatric Influence of Cooling duration on Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (P-ICECAP), as well for other patients who might benefit from temperature cooling – such as patients with traumatic brain injury. Because of the combined efforts from Maggie’s Kindness Foundation and USA Softball of Alabama, along with others, families in the Children’s of Alabama PICU now have additional resources – and hope – during their time of trial.
Despite the tragedy of the situation, Maggie’s Kindness Foundation and USA Softball of Alabama have worked hard to create an event and an experience worth remembering. Actively participating and engaging in the tournament, Maggie’s parents provide each team with a bag containing Maggie’s Rules badges and lanyards, M7 helmet stickers as a tribute to Maggie and her jersey number along with “love othos” bracelets to encourage the enactment of Maggie’s Rules. With a handful of photographers providing photos free of charge, the event is both experienced and captured in a way that exhibits her “Rules for Life”, her excitement on the field and her love for others – just as Maggie would have wanted it.
To learn more about Maggie and her family’s story, click here.