Bridger & Essex Grebe Softball Challenge

We are excited to share this announcement! From the INADcure Foundation …

We are so excited to share with our community that The Bridger and Essex Grebe Fund has generously gifted $100,000 to the INADcure Foundation to be used towards our current research initiatives!

The Bridger and Essex Grebe Fund was established by the Grebe family in honor of Bridger and Essex, much-loved brothers who were both afflicted with INAD.

This summer the Fund held their 11th annual Softball Challenge. This year’s event raised more than $50,000 – the highest total to date! In its 11 years, the Fund has raised almost $700,000.

Those dollars have provided scholarships to families for intensive therapy programs, supported genetic research at Children’s Wisconsin, and supported the extensive INAD research efforts of the INADcure Foundation.

What started as the Bridger Stowe Grebe Softball Challenge in 2011 became the Bridger and Essex Grebe Softball Challenge upon the passing of Essex in 2015. What a fun and special way to help other families while celebrating the lives of Bridger and Essex!

To learn more about the Bridger and Essex Grebe Fund visit: https://bridgerandessexgrebefund.com.

We are incredibly grateful that the Grebe family continues to support the INADcure Foundation and our mission to one day eradicate this disease so that our children no longer suffer the devastating symptoms of INAD!

Registration is now open for this year’s event, which is on Saturday, Aug. 14, at Thiensville Village Park, 250 Elm Street. The family tailgate starts at 5:30 p.m. and the game at 6:30.

Cost to attend the event is a $45 donation per adult (21 and older) and $25 for those ages 15-20. Children under the age of 14 are complimentary with an adult donation.  

If you cannot attend, you can still donate and get your classic t-shirt. Just follow the same steps below for registration for your shirt, but make sure to include your address.

How to Register and Pay

There are two steps to registering.

STEP 1: Start by clicking on the button below to fill out the registration form.

STEP 2: After registering, there are three ways to pay. 

• Pay via Venmo: @bridgerandessex.grebe
• Pay by credit card or PayPal by clicking here to pay online through the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Choose “Donation for the softball challenge” from the drop-down menu when paying for your registration OR if you cannot attend just choose “Make a Contribution.”
• Pay via check (payable to: The Bridger & Essex Grebe Fund), and mail to this address: Bridger & Essex Grebe Fund c/o Kelly Grebe | 11417 N. Spring Avenue | Mequon, WI 53092

2021 Shirt Options

Register and donate to get one of the beautifully designed shirts!

We are so excited to bring back the Bridger & Essex Grebe Softball Challenge in 2021 — live!

Please mark Saturday, August 14, on your calendars. Tailgate is 5:30 p.m., with the first pitch at 6:30 at Thiensville Village Park.

Look for more information soon.

Our auction and raffle were big successes, and we could not have done it without our sponsors.

Thank you to all of them!

Let’s start with our three major sponsors …

• Gabor Design Build
• Marshall Autobody
• Milwaukee Builder’s Supply

And the list doesn’t stop there. Also thanks to …

• Missing Links
• Sendik’s
• Kohler
• La Lune
• Beer Capitol
• The Secret Garden
• Molson Coors Beverage Company
• The Patio Place
• Stella & Dot/Julie Lutz
• John Grubor
• Impressions
• Katie Muth/Jett Vance
• Florence Eiseman
• Dr. Dawg
• Burghardt Sporting Goods
• Wausaukee Plant Market
• Frenz Garden Center
• Charles and Katie Mellowes
• Patty and Mike Grebe
• Connie and Reik Read
• Mack and Ashley Borges
• Amy Marshall
• Marilyn Hart
• Boo Brate
• Frank Vidmar
• Jen and Mike Darrow

With recommended crowd sizes limited due to COVID-19, and due to the closure of Helfaer Field, the Bridger and Essex Grebe Softball Challenge is going virtual this year.

You can still generously donate and receive your limited edition Bridger and Essex Grebe t-shirt — both long- and short-sleeve options are available this year — and we will host an online auction and raffle to benefit the fund.

• To donate now, and be eligible for a shirt, click here. There is a suggested donation of $25 for each adult shirt. The entire family (including children) can receive t-shirts for any donation of $100 or greater.
• After making your donation, click here to order your shirts.

And there is much more information on the auction/raffle to come.

As always, thank you for your support!

We are proud to have raised more than $500,000 since we started the Softball Challenge, including more than $30,000 this year.

Where does that money go? To find out, check out the letter we recently received from Amanda Hope of the INADcure Foundation, and thanks for your continued support!

From the letter …

I am pleased to report that 100% of the funds you contributed to our Foundation went to support medical research initiatives for INAD. The majority of the funds we distributed in 2018 went to Dr. Paul Kotzbuaer’s Lab at Washington University. As you know, Dr. Kotzbauer is working on gene therapy for INAD. Gene therapy is a revolutionary approach to treating genetic diseases. It involves a one-time delivery of a normal copy of the defective gene which ideally causes the body to naturally produce the missing enzyme, which is what is causing the neurodegeration in INAD. It is the most promising ‘cure’ for our children. …

 To date, the INADcure Foundation has raised approximately $600,000. Over 90% of our funding has or will go towards research. We keep our overhead extremely low, as we continue to be run and advised by a working board of directors and multiple advisory committees. We only have one part-time consultant that assists with day to day operations and development. Our goal has always been to direct as much of the funds raised as possible towards research. 

On behalf of our entire Board of Directors and the families and children suffering from this heartbreaking disease, I want to thank you again for your support. None of the accomplishments above would have been possible without the generous gift from the Bridger and Essex Grebe Fund.

We’ve uploaded photos from the 2019 game here.

Thanks, Suzanne Mock, for the terrific shots!

Congratulations to our lucky player auction winners!

This year’s event is on Sunday, Aug. 18, at Helfaer Field, with the family tailgate starting at 11:30 a.m., followed by the game at 1 p.m.

Registration is now open! Cost to attend the event is a $40 donation per adult, payable online (preferred), by check (see below), or at the event. Children under the age of 18 are complimentary. There are two steps to registering …

Start by clicking on the button below to fill out the registration form …

Then, after registering (if you are paying online), please remember to come back to this page and click on the Donate button below to pay for your registration. Choose “Donation for the softball challenge” from the drop-down menu when paying for your registration.

Want to be on the field? Bid to be a player here.

Other Ways to Contribute

If you can not attend, you can make a contribution to the event by clicking on the Donate button and choosing “Make a Contribution” from the menu. You can also donate directly via check (to The Bridger & Essex Grebe Fund) here …

The Bridger & Essex Grebe Fund
Kelly Grebe
11417 N. Spring Avenue
Mequon, WI 53092

Visit the Register & Donate page for more information.