Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON - Drew Michels' passion for baseball and his father's love for him have brought about a windfall of funds to benefit Greater Cincinnati developmentally disabled adults.
The seventh annual Drew Michels Autism Awareness JV Baseball Tournament is Saturday, April 13, at Covington Catholic High School and features seven local junior varsity clubs over four games at Jerry Collins Field in Park Hills.
Drew was officially diagnosed with moderate autism when he was 4 years old. Now a sixth-grader at Saint Agnes, Drew is starting to become a typical teenager.
"He still wears the headphones when he's out in public and always has pencils, or something in his hands, to stimulate with. But before he was just going to school and now he's made friends with some kids in the neighborhood and so we've seen the ways he's taken off the last nine months and it's been incredible," father John Michels said. "He's now almost a typical teenager - he doesn't want anything to do with mom and dad; he wants to be with his buddies and that's great."
Drew's favorite sport has always been baseball. Last July, he got to meet Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto at Cleveland's Progressive Field. Four hours later, he watched his favorite team score seven runs with two outs in the ninth inning to beat the Indians, 7-4.
"That was a special night for us and Drew," John said.
Drew's baseball fandom has wavered; that's just the nature of his condition.
"Two years ago it was nothing but the Reds. Last year he wasn't quite as focused on them. This year he just wants to know how they're doing. He's not watching them all the time, but that's the nature of autism. You focus on what you focus on," John said.
But baseball has always been a part of Drew's life. John, who played at Covington Catholic from 1985-88, has been the head JV coach at his alma mater since 1998.
After Drew was diagnosed, John and his family were eager to help bring about awareness. They worked with Autism Speaks for a year and Support for Military Families for two, but wanted to find a local fundraising source and turned to the Ken Anderson Alliance, whose focus is to build facilities for Greater Cincinnati adults living with autism and developmental disorders.
"We found out about Kenny's Alliance with hope to build a place one day for adults with autism. It seemed like a natural fit. I got his phone number and he called me back one day. We sat on the front porch one day afternoon and just talked with him for 20-25 minutes and it was a great fit," John said.
Working with sponsors and Covington Catholic High School, John organized the annual tournament to benefit the Ken Anderson Alliance. The tournament's impact was immediate, raising more than $100,000 since its debut in 2013.
"We were trying to have a little baseball tournament that might raise $500 or $1,000 and the first year we raised $11,000. It completely blew us away," John said. "We decided to do it again and if it doesn't work out then maybe we'll raise a couple of grand the second time around. The next year we raised about $20,000 and we've come at or near $20,000 every year since. It's overwhelming."
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. The raffle table will include items such as an Apple Watch, a Yeti Cooler and Reds tickets.
The schedule is as follows:
9 a.m.: Covington Catholic vs. Ryle
11:30 a.m.: Beechwood vs. Highlands
2 p.m.: Newport Central Catholic vs. Dixie Heights
4:30 p.m.: Conner vs. Covington Catholic
The previous six tournaments have gone on as scheduled despite rain, sleet, wind and snow.
"This is just a little JV baseball tournament with local teams, but we've had so much luck with our sponsors, who continuously help us out and the parents from all of the schools that come up and support our raffle," John said. "Covington Catholic gets behind it in a big way. I can't think of too many JV baseball tournaments across the country that have done what we've done. The support we get from the community is incredible."