Eric Nitschke’s 13-year-old son, Luke, [photo above] plays for their local youth baseball organization—Plumstead Baseball. Eric has coached this team for many years—and actively helped with the organization’s website and publicity.
He always believed that baseball is a valuable youth activity—not just for the on-field skills—but also for developing a sense of cooperation, teamwork, leadership, and to help set healthy expectations for competition and conflict resolution.
Each year, the organization receives requests for help from less-fortunate families who cannot afford to play baseball. This is not an expensive league, but the fees (which are needed for field maintenance and safety equipment), combined with the personal costs of gear and transportation, can be prohibitive for some families, which often prevents their sons from playing.
Plumstead Baseball has set up a financial aid fund to help these families and ensure all players have access to youth baseball. Local businesses and individuals can also contribute to the fund—either as part of a player’s registration, or as a separate contribution. Financial assistance is managed and distributed by organization’s board.
Eric decided to offer his “$100 challenge” to the Plumstead Baseball financial aid fund to help ensure their community’s youth have access to the great American pastime. (Eric and son are also looking into creating an “equipment exchange” to collect gently-used equipment from players and families, and distribute it to players in need, or conduct a spring equipment sale to support the financial aid fund.)
“Thank you for the opportunity to continue to give back to my community!” [By Eric Nitschke]
