Support Youth Softball + Baseball This Summer Through PALS!
After all of the hardship and uncertainty of the past year, at Philadelphia Adult League Softball (PALS) we are thrilled to announce two exciting initiatives to increase access to softball for young people this summer and reduce barriers to play--and we need your help!
Summer Youth Softball + Baseball Skills Camp in West Philly
First, we could not be more excited to host our first ever Summer Youth Softball + Baseball Skills Camp at the PALS field at Mill Creek Playground in West Philly the week of August 2 through August 6!
This program is in partnership with Men of Mill Creek and the Tommie C. Howell T-Ball Program that has operated at the field for several years but that has been on hold to date because of COVID-19. This August, we are working together to kickstart the program with a week-long softball and baseball skills camp. As the Mill Creek Recreation Center is currently closed to serve as a temporary COVID testing site, all regular youth programming and camps run by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation at that site are suspended, meaning young people in the area have even fewer opportunities for enrichment and structured summer activities--opportunities that are needed now more than ever after the isolation and disruption over the last year due to COVID.
In addition, while we know firsthand that many young people who live in Mill Creek are interested in softball and baseball, there are a limited number of affordable programs and the cost and volume of equipment needed to play can be a significant barrier to participation.
As a result, this summer is the ideal time to kick off this much-needed program. The camp, to be held from 5:30pm to 8pm Monday through Friday the week of Aug 2, is completely free to participants and will be open to children in Mill Creek ages 6 to 15 (participants will be divided by age group during the camp). We are also partnering with USA Quickball to implement their fast-paced, low-pressure baseball and softball training model, and the camp will teach fundamentals in a fun and inclusive way while fostering teamwork and building knowledge of the game. Each child will receive their own new glove as a part of the camp so that they can continue to develop their love of the game after camp is over.
Complimentary dinner will be provided every evening at 5:30pm, and a snack will be provided at the end of the clinics each night. The camp is open to boys and girls of all ability and experience levels and we are planning for 35 kids; parents are encouraged to attend. We have a wonderful and experienced team of volunteers already in place to facilitate the camp
Now, we just need your help to make the camp a reality! The cost of running the camp is nearly $3050, and your donation--in any amount--will ensure 35 kids will have the opportunity to learn baseball and softball fundamentals in a fun, welcoming, and supportive environment. We need your support to make camp happen, and even a small contribution will go a long way. A gift of $100 will cover the cost of camp for one participant for the week.
Here is the breakdown of costs:
$700 for equipment
$875 for new gloves for every participant ($25 per glove for 35 campers)
$1250 for dinner, snacks, and beverages ($250 for each night)
$200 for insurance
Philadelphia Parks and Rec is waiving the $250 permit fee ($50 for each night) which is a huge help!
Community Youth Softball Program in Belize City's Southside
The week following the Summer South Softball + Baseball Skills Camp, we are also extremely thrilled that we will be returning to Belize to resume our partnership with the Belize City Softball Association (BCSA) and provide equipment to enable the startup of a community youth softball program on the Southside of Belize City! In 2019, we were honored to work with the BCSA to support their efforts to expand access to youth softball and baseball in Belize. While both softball and baseball are well-loved throughout the country, widespread lack of equipment--made more challenging by the volume of gear required to play as well as the prohibitive expense--is a significant barrier to participation, particularly among children in the most impoverished parts of the country, such as the Southside of Belize City, meaning many kids never get the chance to play the game. As this area is limited in opportunities for young people and impacted by gang violence, BCSA--which is based on the Southside--has long sought to engage young people in softball and baseball as a safe and meaningful outlet, but been stymied by the lack of resources and access to gear.
Because of so many very generous donors in the PALS community as well as amazing partner organizations, a team of 19 representatives from our league were able to bring down 1,200 pounds of equipment in July of 2019 that was distributed to ten primary schools throughout Belize City to start or restart their school softball programs. We were also able to collaborate with them on youth softball clinics at the stadium engaging over 100 young people.
As this work was just the beginning of our partnership, we planned to return to Belize City in 2020 to expand beyond schools to support BCSA’s work with community sports clubs in the Southside of Belize City; unfortunately, that project was put on hold due to COVID-19. However, with vaccination rates increasing and restrictions easing, we are now thrilled to be returning to Belize in August 2021 to provide equipment to four community sports clubs in the Southside communities of Port Loyola, Mesopotamia, Lake Independence, and Queen Square.
These community sports clubs are run by individuals who live in and know the neighborhoods, and they utilize sports as a way to provide young people with positive, meaningful, and structured activities outside of the home and school environment. This is especially important in the Southside of Belize City, where gang violence continues to be a substantial issue. Children are especially vulnerable to gang involvement and recruitment, and are also vulnerable to being victims of violence (IDB 2019). They also face significant trauma from witnessing violence firsthand (2019).
As a result, community sports clubs seek to provide a point of intervention, offering a safe alternative for young people that teaches skills, fosters teamwork, develops leadership, offers positive mentorship, and shows a path forward. As Shane Williams, President of the BCSA explains, “They are a labor of love,” receiving no government funding and subsisting on support from local businesses. They focus primarily on basketball and soccer, hosting interclub play between community sports clubs, and several young people have gone on to receive scholarships and even play on the National teams through their involvement in these local groups. Since the clubs are directly located in the communities that they serve--and run by members of the community--they are best positioned to understand both the needs--and the many assets--of the young people that they engage. Their location also means that children do not need to travel outside of the neighborhood where they live in order to participate--eliminating additional barriers to play. The clubs want to expand to softball and baseball in order to reach more young people, especially young girls who are currently underrepresented in the clubs’ sports activities. However, until this point they have not had the means to do so, meaning many children remain left out, or not as involved as they could be.
In addition, COVID-19 has made an already challenging situation even more difficult. There are currently fewer resources in-country than ever to dedicate to youth programs--especially expensive sports like softball and baseball--even though times like these are when children need sports--and the benefits they bring--the most. The pandemic has had a significant impact on Belize, where--as a small, isolated country with limited health infrastructure--they implemented widespread measures to curb the spread of the virus. While these necessary interventions saved countless lives and kept their mortality rate low, there has been a profound economic and social impact. The drastic downturn in tourism--one of the main sources of employment, especially on the Southside--meant families’ livelihoods vanished, and food insecurity remains widespread. Schools have been closed for the majority of the pandemic, meaning children don’t have access to school feeding programs, and many households do not have internet so that students can learn remotely. With parents and other family members struggling to generate income and make ends meet in any way that they can, many children have been isolated without a practical way to do their schooling, making them even more vulnerable (UNICEF 2020). As community youth programs have been halted or reduced during the pandemic, and sports restricted (with only practices currently permitted), children have been even more at a loss. “It’s almost like their childhood has been on pause,” says Shane.
For these reasons, as restrictions begin to ease, now is a critical time to support the mission of the Belize City Softball Association and the community sports clubs as they work to establish their first community softball program and league for boys and girls ages 7 to 13. Through our second softball service trip, our small group will travel down on August 11 and will spend four nights in Belize City, going into the neighborhoods of the Southside of Belize City and meeting with the community clubs, providing each of the four clubs with a full set of team equipment including gloves, bats, balls, catchers’ gear, helmets, and cleats. This will enable them to begin practicing and building their teams, with the ongoing support and guidance of the Belize City Softball Association to ensure their success. Then, the goal is to launch an inaugural youth league next spring, so that the newly formed teams can engage in interclub play (in the current model of their basketball and soccer programs) and transform into an ongoing, sustainable competitive program. We will also facilitate a half day clinic with up to 35 young people at all of the four community sports clubs, helping to introduce beginner players to the sport and kick off the exciting new initiative, and will provide fruit and snacks at the clinics.
We have been collecting equipment over the past year and a half in anticipation of when we will be able to return, and already have several bags ready to go. However, we are still in need of additional gear, especially gloves, softballs, catchers’ gear, and cleats, and also plan to bring down Quickball training materials so that BCSA and the community sports clubs can have these tools at their disposal. In addition, we are in need of funds to transport this equipment down with us in August. The anticipated cost of the additional equipment, food for the clinics, and baggage is $2,500.
Your donation in any amount will serve as a beacon of hope in a devastating year, offering kids a much-needed opportunity for fun and a sense of normalcy--and a chance to finally play the game. Even more, it will enable the Belize City Softball Association and the community sports clubs to provide safe, structured activities for the most vulnerable young people in the country.
Thank you so much for your consideration and your support! Any amount truly makes a difference!
Founded in 2012, PALS offers fun and competitive mixed-gender slow-pitch softball leagues in West Philadelphia, with an emphasis on community engagement. Learn more about PALS at www.phillypals.com.
After all of the hardship and uncertainty of the past year, at Philadelphia Adult League Softball (PALS) we are thrilled to announce two exciting initiatives to increase access to softball for young people this summer and reduce barriers to play--and we need your help!
Summer Youth Softball + Baseball Skills Camp in West Philly
First, we could not be more excited to host our first ever Summer Youth Softball + Baseball Skills Camp at the PALS field at Mill Creek Playground in West Philly the week of August 2 through August 6!
This program is in partnership with Men of Mill Creek and the Tommie C. Howell T-Ball Program that has operated at the field for several years but that has been on hold to date because of COVID-19. This August, we are working together to kickstart the program with a week-long softball and baseball skills camp. As the Mill Creek Recreation Center is currently closed to serve as a temporary COVID testing site, all regular youth programming and camps run by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation at that site are suspended, meaning young people in the area have even fewer opportunities for enrichment and structured summer activities--opportunities that are needed now more than ever after the isolation and disruption over the last year due to COVID.
In addition, while we know firsthand that many young people who live in Mill Creek are interested in softball and baseball, there are a limited number of affordable programs and the cost and volume of equipment needed to play can be a significant barrier to participation.
As a result, this summer is the ideal time to kick off this much-needed program. The camp, to be held from 5:30pm to 8pm Monday through Friday the week of Aug 2, is completely free to participants and will be open to children in Mill Creek ages 6 to 15 (participants will be divided by age group during the camp). We are also partnering with USA Quickball to implement their fast-paced, low-pressure baseball and softball training model, and the camp will teach fundamentals in a fun and inclusive way while fostering teamwork and building knowledge of the game. Each child will receive their own new glove as a part of the camp so that they can continue to develop their love of the game after camp is over.
Complimentary dinner will be provided every evening at 5:30pm, and a snack will be provided at the end of the clinics each night. The camp is open to boys and girls of all ability and experience levels and we are planning for 35 kids; parents are encouraged to attend. We have a wonderful and experienced team of volunteers already in place to facilitate the camp
Now, we just need your help to make the camp a reality! The cost of running the camp is nearly $3050, and your donation--in any amount--will ensure 35 kids will have the opportunity to learn baseball and softball fundamentals in a fun, welcoming, and supportive environment. We need your support to make camp happen, and even a small contribution will go a long way. A gift of $100 will cover the cost of camp for one participant for the week.
Here is the breakdown of costs:
$700 for equipment
$875 for new gloves for every participant ($25 per glove for 35 campers)
$1250 for dinner, snacks, and beverages ($250 for each night)
$200 for insurance
Philadelphia Parks and Rec is waiving the $250 permit fee ($50 for each night) which is a huge help!
Community Youth Softball Program in Belize City's Southside
The week following the Summer South Softball + Baseball Skills Camp, we are also extremely thrilled that we will be returning to Belize to resume our partnership with the Belize City Softball Association (BCSA) and provide equipment to enable the startup of a community youth softball program on the Southside of Belize City! In 2019, we were honored to work with the BCSA to support their efforts to expand access to youth softball and baseball in Belize. While both softball and baseball are well-loved throughout the country, widespread lack of equipment--made more challenging by the volume of gear required to play as well as the prohibitive expense--is a significant barrier to participation, particularly among children in the most impoverished parts of the country, such as the Southside of Belize City, meaning many kids never get the chance to play the game. As this area is limited in opportunities for young people and impacted by gang violence, BCSA--which is based on the Southside--has long sought to engage young people in softball and baseball as a safe and meaningful outlet, but been stymied by the lack of resources and access to gear.
Because of so many very generous donors in the PALS community as well as amazing partner organizations, a team of 19 representatives from our league were able to bring down 1,200 pounds of equipment in July of 2019 that was distributed to ten primary schools throughout Belize City to start or restart their school softball programs. We were also able to collaborate with them on youth softball clinics at the stadium engaging over 100 young people.
As this work was just the beginning of our partnership, we planned to return to Belize City in 2020 to expand beyond schools to support BCSA’s work with community sports clubs in the Southside of Belize City; unfortunately, that project was put on hold due to COVID-19. However, with vaccination rates increasing and restrictions easing, we are now thrilled to be returning to Belize in August 2021 to provide equipment to four community sports clubs in the Southside communities of Port Loyola, Mesopotamia, Lake Independence, and Queen Square.
These community sports clubs are run by individuals who live in and know the neighborhoods, and they utilize sports as a way to provide young people with positive, meaningful, and structured activities outside of the home and school environment. This is especially important in the Southside of Belize City, where gang violence continues to be a substantial issue. Children are especially vulnerable to gang involvement and recruitment, and are also vulnerable to being victims of violence (IDB 2019). They also face significant trauma from witnessing violence firsthand (2019).
As a result, community sports clubs seek to provide a point of intervention, offering a safe alternative for young people that teaches skills, fosters teamwork, develops leadership, offers positive mentorship, and shows a path forward. As Shane Williams, President of the BCSA explains, “They are a labor of love,” receiving no government funding and subsisting on support from local businesses. They focus primarily on basketball and soccer, hosting interclub play between community sports clubs, and several young people have gone on to receive scholarships and even play on the National teams through their involvement in these local groups. Since the clubs are directly located in the communities that they serve--and run by members of the community--they are best positioned to understand both the needs--and the many assets--of the young people that they engage. Their location also means that children do not need to travel outside of the neighborhood where they live in order to participate--eliminating additional barriers to play. The clubs want to expand to softball and baseball in order to reach more young people, especially young girls who are currently underrepresented in the clubs’ sports activities. However, until this point they have not had the means to do so, meaning many children remain left out, or not as involved as they could be.
In addition, COVID-19 has made an already challenging situation even more difficult. There are currently fewer resources in-country than ever to dedicate to youth programs--especially expensive sports like softball and baseball--even though times like these are when children need sports--and the benefits they bring--the most. The pandemic has had a significant impact on Belize, where--as a small, isolated country with limited health infrastructure--they implemented widespread measures to curb the spread of the virus. While these necessary interventions saved countless lives and kept their mortality rate low, there has been a profound economic and social impact. The drastic downturn in tourism--one of the main sources of employment, especially on the Southside--meant families’ livelihoods vanished, and food insecurity remains widespread. Schools have been closed for the majority of the pandemic, meaning children don’t have access to school feeding programs, and many households do not have internet so that students can learn remotely. With parents and other family members struggling to generate income and make ends meet in any way that they can, many children have been isolated without a practical way to do their schooling, making them even more vulnerable (UNICEF 2020). As community youth programs have been halted or reduced during the pandemic, and sports restricted (with only practices currently permitted), children have been even more at a loss. “It’s almost like their childhood has been on pause,” says Shane.
For these reasons, as restrictions begin to ease, now is a critical time to support the mission of the Belize City Softball Association and the community sports clubs as they work to establish their first community softball program and league for boys and girls ages 7 to 13. Through our second softball service trip, our small group will travel down on August 11 and will spend four nights in Belize City, going into the neighborhoods of the Southside of Belize City and meeting with the community clubs, providing each of the four clubs with a full set of team equipment including gloves, bats, balls, catchers’ gear, helmets, and cleats. This will enable them to begin practicing and building their teams, with the ongoing support and guidance of the Belize City Softball Association to ensure their success. Then, the goal is to launch an inaugural youth league next spring, so that the newly formed teams can engage in interclub play (in the current model of their basketball and soccer programs) and transform into an ongoing, sustainable competitive program. We will also facilitate a half day clinic with up to 35 young people at all of the four community sports clubs, helping to introduce beginner players to the sport and kick off the exciting new initiative, and will provide fruit and snacks at the clinics.
We have been collecting equipment over the past year and a half in anticipation of when we will be able to return, and already have several bags ready to go. However, we are still in need of additional gear, especially gloves, softballs, catchers’ gear, and cleats, and also plan to bring down Quickball training materials so that BCSA and the community sports clubs can have these tools at their disposal. In addition, we are in need of funds to transport this equipment down with us in August. The anticipated cost of the additional equipment, food for the clinics, and baggage is $2,500.
Your donation in any amount will serve as a beacon of hope in a devastating year, offering kids a much-needed opportunity for fun and a sense of normalcy--and a chance to finally play the game. Even more, it will enable the Belize City Softball Association and the community sports clubs to provide safe, structured activities for the most vulnerable young people in the country.
Thank you so much for your consideration and your support! Any amount truly makes a difference!
Founded in 2012, PALS offers fun and competitive mixed-gender slow-pitch softball leagues in West Philadelphia, with an emphasis on community engagement. Learn more about PALS at www.phillypals.com.