Anthony Bertolino, President of the Cranberry CUP, speaks during last year’s event at Cranberry Community Park. Butler Eagle file photo

This year marks the 25th year of the Cranberry CUP, an annual celebration of charity, community and goodwill in Cranberry Township. The three-day summer event kicks off on Friday, Aug. 2, with a golf outing and a kickoff party at Cranberry Highlands Golf Club.

Cranberry CUP vice president Robin Shaffer has been part of the event for 17 years, and wouldn’t trade them for anything.

“I would just say that it's one of the best community organizations,” Shaffer said. “Its sole purpose is to give to those who are in need.”

Each year, a portion of the proceeds from the Cranberry CUP benefit what it calls their “inspirational family,” a family that has suffered tremendous and unexpected adversity. This year, that family is the Tuite family, which has faced setbacks after their patriarch, Rick, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in January.

Rick has been unable to work since December due to his illness, and has suffered from seizures for eight years. He is currently undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

The other main beneficiary from this year’s Cranberry CUP is the family of Jackson “Jax” Ramirez, 9, of Zelienople, who has a rare, life-threatening genetic immune system disorder called IPEX. The family is still in search of a potentially lifesaving bone marrow donation for Jax.

Also benefiting from the event this year is last year’s inspirational family, the Forsyth family, of Cranberry Township, who are still recovering from the loss of patriarch Bertram “B.J.” Forsyth in an automobile accident in 2022.

Shaffer said the Cranberry CUP has a process for choosing the year’s “inspirational family.”

“We have an application process. Sometimes the family themselves can fill it out. Sometimes a friend or neighbor fills it out,” Shaffer said. “And then we have a beneficiary committee that looks at the application, calls the person that is on the application, and then we determine who has the greatest need and how we can help them, and then they become our inspirational family.”

In addition, the Cranberry CUP awards an annual $2,000 scholarship to an eligible Seneca Valley School District senior who is moving on to the next level of education. This year, the scholarship went to Taryn Wilson, who is headed to the University of Notre Dame to study chemical engineering and compassionate care.

As usual, this year’s Cranberry CUP schedule will feature staples such as the golf outing on Friday; the softball tournament on Saturday and Sunday; the opening ceremony on Saturday; and the kickoff party on Friday night at 6 p.m. at the golf club.

The cornhole tournament, which is Saturday, was established in 2022 in memory of former Cranberry CUP board member and avid cornhole player Michele Moore, who died as the result of a freak accident earlier that year.

There also will be live music at the Rotary Amphitheater at Cranberry Township Community Park on Sunday, featuring the acts Long Shots, Waterview Band and Phase IV.

Shaffer stressed that the Cranberry CUP is more than just a three-day event during the summer — people can volunteer or donate all year long.

“People think it's just this event because this is our big fundraiser, but it’s more than that,” Shaffer said. “We are a volunteer-based organization, with pretty much 100% of our money going to the people in need, so we depend on donations and volunteers to keep our organization running. So people can volunteer for anything that we do that's helpful.”