Pitch In For Baseball™, the youth baseball charity that has partnered with Little League International since 2005, is taking on its biggest project to date.
Even though Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans more than two years ago, many schools in that region have yet to see baseball return to their community. As a result, Pitch In For Baseball is partnering with the Recovery School District to help restart youth baseball and softball at 25 middle school and high school programs in the city.
Allen Woods, Athletic Director for the Recovery School District in New Orleans, shared his perspective on the project. “I am constantly looking for opportunities for our students to participate in wholesome athletic programs. When Pitch In For Baseball contacted me about their plan to help the children of New Orleans I was elated. The help being provided by Pitch In For Baseball will allow our students to train, learn and play one of Americas favorite past times again. In New Orleans we will be saying ‘Batter's Up!’ this spring.”
“This is a very important project and a huge challenge for our organization,” said Pitch In For Baseball Executive Director, David Rhode. “We have a strong desire to see the kids of New Orleans get all of the opportunities they so richly deserve. Having a chance to play baseball is just one small piece of that equation.”
The effort to provide equipment and uniforms to the public schools is just part of a broader program to help the kids of New Orleans. Pitch In For Baseball is helping to arrange coaching clinics and is also working closely with local politicians and Little League’s Urban Initiative to expand Little League’s impact on the storm-ravaged community.
Pitch In For Baseball, a 501(c) 3 charity, will need the continued donations of equipment and financial support to make this project happen. “We have a January 19th deadline to collect and ship this equipment. We will need a lot of assistance from a lot of generous donors to help make this project a reality,” said Rhode.
To find out more about how to get involved in this project, contact David Rhode at 215-371-2841 or drhode@pitchinforbaseball.org
We need more organizations like Pitch In For Baseball. Maybe we should donate to organizations like this instead of political campaigns.