PHOENIX — Promise Field next to Brunson Lee Elementary School in the Balsz School District really lived up to its name Saturday as dozens of young baseball stars in the making were honored for their hard work.
It's all part of the Balsz Home2First Baseball League, which just wrapped up its spring season.
Now in its second season, the league welcomed roughly 45 players from the Balsz School District in Phoenix, all getting the opportunity to play free of charge.
"We have a lot of great foundational pillars that we've built this year," says Paul Penney, founder of the nonprofit, Home2First Foundation, which helped create the league. "And we want to take it to the next level next year and continue to build on the success."
Penney is a former college baseball player and created Home2First as a way to bring the game of baseball - and the life lessons that come with it - to communities in need.
For roughly a decade, baseball had vanished from the Balsz community, with Promise Field overgrown with weeds at one point. But now in its second season, the league is growing and expanding, especially when it comes to enthusiasm!
"I feel very prideful," explains Penney, while also saying he'd like to see the league continue to grow.
The Arizona Diamondbacks mascot, "Baxter," was also on hand for the awards ceremony Saturday; the D-backs provided critical support for the student athletes to make sure they did not face any financial burdens to get their kids to the plate.
"They were part of it in a big way," explains Penney. "They came out with coaching, Wilson gloves for all the players, and uniforms."
What's extra special about what Home2First has created is that it's paving the way and helping these students make their dreams come true on the field and off the field, instilling core values from a young age.
"There is so much failure with baseball; it is a tough sport, so you have to be super resilient. And that's what I keep preaching."
"It's good as a mother to see that," says Jennifer Anaya, whose son, Adriel, is in his first year. "Baseball has worked within school, within life, and within the sport as well."
And Jennifer isn't the only one who likes the changes she is seeing. For Stephanye Carson, whose son, Eveyn, hit a home run Saturday, she realizes that he's learning key lessons through his love for the game.
"It teaches them to be a leader, hard work, and it teaches them consistency," she explains.
Balsz Superintendent Dr. George Barnes says the program is hitting home runs all around and not just for players and families.
"Sports and programs allow us to say our kids can have it too," says Dr. Barnes. "Our children and students can have access to wonderful things."
To learn more about Balsz and their baseball program, click here.
To learn more about the Home2First Foundation and its other charity work, click here.
