Kicking the Ball for Charitable Causes

Twenty-two teams competed in the annual KMA Foundation kickball tournament in Saturday, with one team traveling all the way from Iowa to participate. Games were held at .

Proceeds went to KMA (Keeping Memories Alive, Kaela Marie Archambault) and OneCurveAtaTime non-profit organization launched by Shawn Archambault when his daughter, , on a dangerous curve of Route FF.

"Since Kaela, there have been five others who died on FF; that's a lot of people lost," said Shawn, while he jumped in and out of meditating about the delicate balance of life and death Saturday in-between kickball games.

There are 21 curves on Route W and 19 on Route FF, depending on what one considers a true curve, he said.

"I'm always shocked at how fast people drive on these roads, like nothing's ever happened," he said.

He said KMA is a foundation created to cover two main purposes:  It is to honor loved ones who have gone before us and to assist with the spiritual healing of individuals affected by their loss. "The hope is to speed up the healing process by doing good deeds to better our world."

Shawn said some of the funding will go toward the group's continual effort about road safety and improvements. Participants paid an entry fee to the tournament, and also could purchase Kaela memorial shirts and bracelets.

"We hope to give scholarships to people who are like-minded of Kaela," he said.

He smiled as he watched the teams of 10 to 12 each compete, and then focus on the theme of the day.

As explained on the KMA Foundation website:  "Life does not look the same when we lie down or when we wake, but we hold on to God's promise that we will see each other and celebrate togetherness once again. Our God has not changed and because of her (Kaela), we draw closer to Him. At times we feel it's a dream, but the reality is, she is home and in a better place than we could ever imagine. Our pain is deeper than a knife cut, but we pray that His grace will be sufficient and His power will be made perfect in our weakness. Until we meet again, may God use us for His will and purpose, not ours. Amen."

Editor's Note: For the volume of Patch articles about this topic, follow the links on the SEE MORE ON PATCH section to the right-hand side of this page.