Help Me Find Local Charity

Well its not a homeless shelter or advocacy program but I'm going to put a plug in for one of my pet community groups. Inner City Little League is the league for Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy. They recently had $3,500 in equipment stolen and vandalized putting their winter programing and spring schedule at risk. Below is an article on the loss and I've linked to their website below. There are tons of good charities in the area, but this is one where your $s will go directly to the kids.

Saturday, November 11
Don't Be Discouraged!
Bed-Stuy Li'l League vandalized

$3,500 in gear is gone

BY ELIZABETH HAYS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER


Vandals stole or destroyed $3,500 worth of equipment at Michael Harris' Bed-Stuy Little League.


Shamel Crosland, 5, at baseball practice.

A cash-strapped Bedford-Stuyvesant Little League program is reeling after vandals stole or destroyed nearly $3,500 worth of equipment from a storage shed over the weekend.
"It's heart-breaking," said Inner City Sports founder Michael Harris, who grew up in the neighborhood and created the league to give area kids something to do to keep them off the street. "It's the kids who are getting hurt."

The league stored scores of baseballs, mitts, catcher's masks and other goods in a locked shed in Herbert Von King Park, where they play their games each summer.

But last Sunday, an organizer found the doors to the shed open and most of the equipment was missing, broken or covered in paint - including a recently donated $2,000 concession stand.

The league, which was created by Harris in 2002, has grown from an informal team of about 15 kids to an organization with about 300 boys and girls on more than 15 teams.

Despite the success, fund-raising remains a major challenge, Harris said, since they try to keep fees low to enable more kids to play.

"It runs more on luck and a shoestring budget than anything else," said Harris. "When the regular season starts, this is going to be a huge problem."

Parks Department officials couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.

Through the winter, the group offers free baseball clinics in a local church gymnasium. The next season is slated to start in April and run through August.

Kids pay $80 for the season, with local churches often supplying scholarships for kids who can't afford to pay.

But the bulk of the group's budget comes from donations from local businesses and from parents' fund-raising.

"This is going to make it a lot more difficult for us," said mom Patricia Llanes, whose sixth-grade son, Jason Saffon, has been playing for four years.

"If we can't get this replaced the kids will suffer and the season might start late," added Llanes, who also is a volunteer coach.

The theft isn't the first setback for the organization. Last spring, thieves stole about $1,500 worth of Major League pennants adorning the organization's lone field. Also, $400 worth of protective tarps recently went missing.

"It's really sad," said Damon Cuspert, who helps run the league. "You try to do something for kids so they have fun and they're not on the street. For this to happen is really offensive."


http://eteamz.active.com/Innercitysports/