Gloves for All

Over the past four years, Pitch In For Baseball (Pitch In For Baseball) has grown exponentially, more than doubling the number of projects completed and the number of kids served annually.  In 2016 to date, we completed 350 projects, helping nearly 60,000 kids play ball in 23 countries and 36 states in the U.S.  The demand continues to increase and we have found that our inventory has not been growing at the same rate.  We support 100% of requests from programs that are helping under-resourced children.  With limited inventory, we give something to everyone but we want to be able to do more. 

In 2016, we donated more than 10,000 gloves but there were more than 20,000 requested.  With more resources, we can help more kids and we can assist on a larger scale. 

Below are some stories of kids your donation supported:

LA Monarch Girls Baseball, Los Angeles
When longtime baseball fan and Los Angeles native Gillian realized that the area had many girls who wanted to continue playing baseball, she formed the LA Monarchs, a girls only baseball team. With a number of girls coming from low income families, many of them struggle to pay the minimal participation fee and cannot afford equipment. PIFB was able to help with their equipment needs and keep the girls on the field.

Mariana & Luisa, Colombia
Left by their fathers at a young age, Mariana and Luisa have faced great adversity in their lives.  Each having only one parent who struggle to make ends meet, both girls began selling candy in the streets at a young age to help  provide for their families. After a local league received gear from PIFB, Mariana and Luisa   decided to play. The girls fell in love with the sport and are now able to spend time off the streets playing baseball, learning life values, having fun, and enjoying their childhood.

Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud, Rosebud, SD
Each year, the Arizona Diamondbacks host an Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball and Softball tournaments for Native American kids ages 9-18. The Rosebud Boys & Girls Club out of the Sioux Community in South Dakota raised funds to send 15 kids, but had limited equipment and no uniforms. PIFB provided the team with gloves, uniform pants, cleats, and other needed equipment. Many of the boys had never been on a plane or even left their communities.

Daija – Philadelphia

Daija, grade 7, had a chronic attendance problem. She often missed days of school at a time. It was not clear she would be able to move on to the 8th grade. When the season started, Daija was informed she would not be allowed to play on the team if she did not improve her attendance. Daija’s attendance improved dramatically. She went from missing school two to three times a week, to missing only one half day of school the entire two month season. She understood the importance of being there for her team and had found her own motivation to engage in the school community.

Wilfredo and Eddy – Honduras

Nine-year-old twins, Wilfredo and Eddy have had their fair share of heartache. Shortly after moving to Ecuador with their dad, he was diagnosed with cancer and returned to the U.S. for treatment. The boys went back to Honduras. A year later, the boys returned to Ecuador with their dad. Tragically, his health declined and he passed away two months later. The boys were devastated. They lost interest in soccer (a game they played with their dad) and stuck to each other. Desperate, their mom signed them up for baseball. Baseball has revived them.