What began as a small-scale neighborhood softball tournament to benefit the community has evolved into a grand "Decade of Giving" -- the slogan for this year's Community Uniting People, better known as the Cranberry CUP.

Under the baton of Cathy Cortazzo, the charity effort has raised $675,000 since 2000 and has involved hundreds of players, volunteers and fans, as neighborhood teams take the field to raise money for needy neighbors.

The event spans three days, beginning July 31 with a golf outing at Cranberry Highlands sponsored by Northwest Savings Bank. Also that day, a kickoff party hosted by Armstrong and Guardian will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Cranberry Highlands. The fee is $25 at the door and includes dinner and a performance by the band Soul Village.

The softball tournament, sponsored by Westinghouse and Park Place/Northwood Realty, will begin at 10 a.m. at Cranberry Community Park on Route 19 and continue over two days.

Nearly 50 teams, including two dozen business teams, will compete.

"I am very passionate about our accomplishments over the last 10 years," said Ms. Cortazzo, founder and president of the CUP board of directors. "This was truly a grass-roots effort that has become the most anticipated event in Cranberry. People schedule their vacations around it now. This nonprofit organization could never happen without the wonderful people throughout our community."

Ms. Cortazzo was commended at a recent public meeting of the Cranberry supervisors for her devotion to the cause. "You are an inspiration to the community," Supervisor Bruce Mazzoni told her.

While the money raised from the softball tournament funds several outreach efforts annually, including helping needy families from the Cranberry area at Christmas, CUP volunteers choose what they call "an inspirational family" as the focus of the tournament each year. This year, it's the Jimmy Barbarino family. Mr. Barbarino has a brain tumor. Ms. Cortazzo describes him as "a proud man in a bad position."

On the Cranberry CUP's Web site, a profile of the family notes that Mr. Barbarino was diagnosed in 2005 with a brain tumor, which causes him to have seizures. He came to the CUP volunteers' attention partly because of the efforts of a former Seneca Valley student who initiated a fund-raising campaign on the family's behalf to help them secure a home through Habitat for Humanity. Money was raised to buy property in Cranberry; now, the CUP will help raise the funds to get the home built. Mr. Barbarino's wife's name is Edie and they have two daughters.

Ms. Cortazzo said the family was viewed as an inspiration because "the goal is to remind us all that a great family's lives can change on a dime. That helps us keep our priorities in line."

Last year, the Cranberry CUP helped a family whose father was on a heart transplant list and whose mother was medically disabled. The year before, the group helped a man with multiple sclerosis whose wife had died unexpectedly. It also contributed toward the Miracle League Field in Cranberry and pitched in toward medical expenses for a local football coach's son.

The group receives applications from throughout the Seneca Valley School District, which are thoroughly reviewed by volunteers.

The Cranberry CUP raises money through registration fees, raffle ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and contributions. More information can be obtained by visiting the group's Web site at www.cranberrycup.org.