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Baseball tournament in memory of Georgia Walsh

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Georgia Walsh loved baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays, so it only seemed fitting to honour her memory at the local ballpark.

Two years ago, on July 16, 2014, the six-and-a-half-year-old daughter of Jillian and John Walsh was tragically killed when she was hit by a vehicle that failed to come to a complete stop at a red light in Leaside.

On Saturday, her family and entire community celebrated her memory at the 2nd Annual Georgia Walsh Memorial ALL-STAR Games at Trace Manes Park.

“We were quite touched and overwhelmed by how much all of Leaside and even surrounding communities just reached out to us in our time of pain and grief,” said Jillian Walsh. “Everyone grieves very differently, but for me the only way I could make sense of her accident was to make sure something positive came out of it.”

Hundreds gathered for a Rookie Ball skills competition with players from Leaside Baseball and other leagues from around the city. There were also plenty of snacks, drinks and games to keep smiles on the faces of children and their parents.

Walsh said they are aiming to raise $1.2 million for the Trace Manes rejuvenation project to give their park a much-needed “facelift.”

“We wanna make sure it’s safer so one of the things we’re changing is that it’s not fully fenced in right now and we don’t want someone to go through the same loss we went through ... so we’re changing that,” she said.

They’re also planning to build a splash-pad in the park and make it wheelchair accessible.

“It’s about inclusivity and we want to include everybody and that’s what community is about,” Walsh said. “We couldn’t have done this without the hundreds, the thousands of people who supported us and rallied around us. Everyone here today is a volunteer, so it’s quite amazing,”

Walsh says a number of people have told her, “Your daughter’s accident changed the way I drive.”

Since the fatal crash, speed limits have been lowered in the area and there’s now a no-turn-on-red sign at the intersection.

Aimee Sulliman sat in the bleachers soaking in the day’s events with her son Kaydan Gupta, 9, who plays baseball for Leaside.

“It’s a wonderful celebration of Georgia’s life, and it’s our honour to be here and be able to celebrate it,” she said. “I think the strength and courage of the family in doing it, you know, it’s what makes communities stronger and better places to live. We’re all touched by it and it’s a great day.”

Walsh, who also has three sons, says she remembers her daughter as spirited, energetic, funny and playful and can’t help but have mixed feelings on such a day.

“I wish she was here to celebrate it as well, but I embrace the joy of seeing these children,” she said. “Community is about giving back and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

dmckenzie@postmedia.com

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