BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Among Crispin’s House fundraisers, the annual softball tournament isn’t so much about dollars as it is about sense.

“We do it to raise some money, but more than anything it brings a lot of good groups of people into the area to have a good time,” said Al Baines, president of Crispin’s board of directors and the event coordinator.

The tournament’s first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10, at the Villa Augustina fields on Mast Road.

In addition to the quickly paced double-elimination softball tournament, Crispin’s House will raise money through a 50/50 raffle and its concession stand, open courtesy of Goffstown Junior Baseball, which also donated the food.

The event also offers Crispin’s House the opportunity to promote many of its area programs, including its after-school program at Mountain View Middle School, with 200 local high-risk children enrolled and at least 60 attending daily.

These children, said Baines, would otherwise be home alone waiting for their parents to return from work.

Instead, each spends up to three hours at the school playing games and doing homework, among other enriching activities.

“We believe the program has reduced (negative) contact with the police by 43 percent in that age group,” he said.

Another beneficial program offered by Crispin’s House, in conjunction with area police and the local court system, is the juvenile diversion program.

“It give kids who are first-time, nonviolent offenders a break and allows them to make amends with the community for any ill deeds without going through the court system,” said Baines.

Competing in the tournament will be the Goffstown Police, Fire and Public Works departments, the Goffstown Rotary Club, Goffstown Junior Baseball, Granite State Plumbing and Heating, Ace Hardware/Main Street and The Goffstown News, the perennial tournament punching bag.