Not long ago, Jamul Little League was losing players, due in part to deteriorating facilities. Now that the community has rallied to rescue the youth organization, Jamul Little League wants to pay it forward.
The league is hosting a fundraiser Saturday as part of the goal to raise $50,000 to renovate at least one Little League field south of the border in Tecate.
The event includes a 3:30 p.m. clinic for kids to practice basic skills with coaches and volunteers, followed by a 5 p.m. goodwill game between teams of 9-11 year olds from Tecate and Jamul.
The day will conclude with a 7:15 p.m. outdoor movie in the outfield grass thanks to equipment donated by Jamul Community Church.
Tickets for the day of activities cost $20. Separate admission for a dinner by Tecate chefs will cost $110.
Tecate Children’s Baseball League needs to renovate at least one of its three youth fields. The money will pay for new turf, soil, fencing, painting, electrical and more.
The fields in Tecate are in rough shape, including one marked by a massive sinkhole in the outfield. The disrepair is a familiar sight to Jamul Little Leaguers, who saw many of their fields fall into disrepair.
Led by the Jamul Dulzura School District, Jamul Little League, and local businesses, the community raised funds and all six fields were renovated ahead of this season, where 150 Little Leaguers play ball.
“Jamul families came together and improved the fields, which has been a huge boost for our kids, the parents and our coaches,” said Jeremy Adams, a league board member and parent. “It’s made Jamul a better place.”
Over the past few months, parents from the Tecate Children’s Baseball League and Jamul Little League have met to exchange ideas related to fields, equipment and training and recruiting coaches and mentors.
This collaboration led them to become “Sister/Brother” leagues, crystalizing last month with the idea that their kids could play together, at least for one evening in May.
“There are kids who play baseball in Jamul Little League who are from Tecate. And we know of one family from Jamul who plays in Tecate Little League,” said Ami Murofushi, president of Jamul Little League. “We have many differences but our love of baseball and our kids is the same.
Javier Hernandez, president of the Tecate league, said he and the community are “grateful to all those who are putting a grain of sand into this project.”
“The beneficiaries will be our kids, the baseball players, who with joy and passion give themselves to the sport. There is no better payment than to see the children happy and smiling.”
Note: Photo credit – The damaged Little League field in Tecate, screen shot, IVC Media LLC via Vimeo.