National Little League took a step towards greater accessibility for players in its Challenger Baseball program this week.
Representatives of Jays Care Foundation, a charitable arm of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club, were on hand at Jerry Hale Field at Cook Street and Hillside Avenue on Tuesday to announce a $15,000 Field of Dreams infrastructure grant. The money will help make the parkB次元官网网址檚 first-base dugout accessible for players using wheelchairs or other mobility devices B次元官网网址� the third-base side already accommodates that B次元官网网址� as well as undertake some other dugout improvements.
Barbara Hudlin, president and co-ordinator of the Doug Hudlin Challenger Baseball adaptive program at National, which has completed its first season, called the grant B次元官网网址渁 blessing.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e going to open a park for challenge baseball, you need to open it for all different challenges, whether itB次元官网网址檚 a disability or whether itB次元官网网址檚 that they have speech problem, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter,B次元官网网址� she said.
Robert Witchel, executive director of Jays Care Foundation, was on hand for the presentation. He said this project, one of two to receive grants in Victoria B次元官网网址� Gordon Head Minor Baseball was given the other for a similar project at Lambrick Park B次元官网网址� dovetails nicely into the foundatonB次元官网网址檚 mandate.
Our West Coast tour continues at VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 oldest diamond.
B次元官网网址� Jays Care Foundation (@JaysCare)
Jerry Hale Field received a 2018 Jays Care Field Of Dreams grant to support making the diamond accessible for the communityB次元官网网址檚 newly launched Challenger Baseball league!
B次元官网网址淛ays Care is all about levelling the playing field for kids,B次元官网网址� he said, noting that they do their best to remove barriers for children who want to get involved in the sport. B次元官网网址淲e work with kids living in First Nations, kids living with disabilities, kids living at or below the poverty line; we work with girls who want to get into the game but find that challenging. Everything we do is about giving kids a leg up.B次元官网网址�
Witchel said NationalB次元官网网址檚 grant application was solid enough to avoid the second stage of the two-step adjudication process. And being able to help at the oldest Little League Baseball park in Greater Victoria B次元官网网址� play began here in 1953 B次元官网网址� was a fact not lost on him.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 pretty inspiring to be here and to hear all the stories and knowing that this is the first diamond on the Island, itB次元官网网址檚 exciting for us to be a little part of it,B次元官网网址� he said.
The Jays Care crew timed their visit to Victoria to host grant-related events with the Major League Baseball teamB次元官网网址檚 visit to Seattle for a series this week against the Mariners.
Witchel said itB次元官网网址檚 no secret that Jays fans come out in huge numbers to Safeco Field to support B次元官网网址淐anadaB次元官网网址檚 teamB次元官网网址� and he expected the scene would be no different this time around.
Since Jays Care partnered with Baseball Canada and Little League Canada on the Challenger program two years ago, the program has grown from about 600 participants to more than 4,000.
Jays Care will invest close to $7 million across the country this year in programs and infrastructure for kids, and has Challenger Baseball running in every province.
