Students in Steinbach are getting more involved in baseball thanks to the Jays Care Foundation.
Don Dewey, a teacher at Stonybrook Middle School says this is the second year they’ve hosted the program created by the Toronto Blue Jays Foundation.
“It's a program that the Jays sponsor, they have stakeholders that donate the money. To give you an example, the Jays have donated probably about $2,000 to $3,000 of equipment for us to run a program that's free for any child in our school.”
Dewey explains that aside from volleyball, many girls in the area tend to drop out of sports around the ages of 13 or 14. This initiative is helping to change that by giving them a chance to discover and enjoy baseball, and the program is growing.
“We have 35 girls this year, four teams. So, we basically teach them basic skills, but this year when we finish up mid-June, we're going to have the World Series of Jays Care baseball where the four teams play each other, and then we'll have like a championship trophy and make a big deal of it.”
Helping make it all happen are three assistant coaches and two junior coaches who are stepping up in a big way.
“Who all have done an excellent job with the girls,” Dewey says.
The response from students has been overwhelmingly positive. The girls are learning fundamental baseball skills, but even more importantly, they’re learning teamwork and inclusion.
“For example, one of my students, her name is Delainey, she is in a wheelchair and she has five classmates that all play and they all want a turn to be her buddy for a practice, so they help her hit the ball, and they help her get from base to base.”
Dewey says the impact of the program goes far beyond the field.
“For me, as a teacher to see the kind of response from the other girls, the way they love Delainey, the way they take care of Delainey, that to me what a real team is all about, it's like a family. And so, I feel very blessed to run a program with some of my colleagues at school where the kids actually care about each other.”
With Jays Care reaching 1,000 programs, Dewey is encouraging other schools in the southeast to get involved.
“The closest ones to us are all in Winnipeg, so, Hanover people, we would love to see more programs in your child's school. Elementary school or middle school is their focus for their program.”
Looking ahead, Dewey hopes to connect with other schools running girls' baseball programs through Jays Care and potentially organize a weekend tournament.
With files from Corny Rempel