LEONARDTOWN, Md. – The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by RJ Bean, the President of St. Mary’s Little League Baseball:
“When we find ourselves in moments such as these, where passion ignites a conversation about youth baseball and softball, and activities geared towards them, and that conversation fills the newsfeeds of thousands in our community, it’s best to take a step back and ask ourselves: Why?
I know I can speak for all youth baseball and softball organizations in this county when I say our WHY is the children.
Every single thing we do is about the kids, and we take pride in being able to provide every kid in our community the opportunity to play baseball or softball.
There’s no politics in this. There’s no hate in this. There’s no disrespect in this.
This is about the kids in our community that want to play baseball and softball.
And just like we do before every practice or game, hundreds of our volunteers that dedicate thousands of hours to our baseball and softball community are ready to get to work, side-by-side, with the County Commissioners and Director of Recreation & Parks, to ensure we’re all aligned to the same WHY: the children.
Fair isn’t everyone getting what they want, but everyone getting what they need, and for some time, our baseball and softball community’s needs have not been met.
With much hope, dedication and commitment, we truly believe we are at a pivotal moment to change that narrative and move forward for our children.
For the last two years, I have been working with league leaders from Little League, Babe Ruth, Legion, Youth T-Ball and many travel organizations to put a plan forward for our youth baseball and softball community.
We just requested time to speak in front of the Recreation & Parks Board at their upcoming Board Meeting on Thursday, March 2. There, I hope to be able to present a path forward for our baseball and softball community with valued input from all youth baseball and softball organizations.
This is an important step to allowing our league leaders to have a voice and be heard, and to see our suggestions make it into the Capital Improvement Project budget.
Together, we can do this! Together, we can ensure our youth have what they need to excel, be engaged and thrive in our local community! Together, we can make things happen.
Our children need us now more than ever, and our 100% volunteer run organizations are dedicated to working side-by-side with the County Commissioners and Director of Recreation & Parks to see the change our kids need.
After all, they are our WHY. “
To submit your own letter, send it to news@thebaynet.com
