FAIR HAVEN – While Jamie Riley probably never played pickleball, he is remembered as an avid outdoorsman and athlete who excelled at football and track and field.
“It seems fitting that we honor his memory with an outdoor sporting event that he would have enjoyed,” said Sadie Reilly, a family friend and event organizer.
Over 100 people have signed up for the inaugural Jamie Riley Pickleball Fundraising Festival at Fair Haven Fields Saturday, hosted by the Women’s Pickleball Association. It will be begin with a ceremony from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Proceeds will be donated to a Knollwood School scholarship fund and to ThanksUSA’s Military Family Scholarship Program, according to event organizers.
The festival honors Pfc. Jamie R. Riley who, at age 21, died from injuries following a training accident on a portion of the Fort Bliss, Texas, Army base.
Jamie lived in Fair Haven and went to school at Knollwood School and RBC.
Registration is now closed, but donations of cash and gift cards are still being accepted by the Women’s Pickleball Association and the Monmouth Pickleball Club, who are organizing the event. Carolyn Riley, Jamie’s mother, is a member of the Women’s Pickleball Association.
The rain date is set for Oct. 6.
