I am going to take a break from my usual commentary and tell you a little about what I do when I am not pondering things like fizzy water, mustard udders and automats. Much of my time and energy these days goes into a little nonprofit called Play Global.
It started as the idea of our good friend Tom (Dizzy) Gillespie. A few years later, it has grown into an actual, legitimate organization. The idea is to teach baseball to kids in places where its lessons - respect, teamwork, self-confidence and fun - can make a big difference.
Now take a minute to close your eyes and imagine... wait, don't close your eyes. Keep reading and picture this:
Kids are running around in a park, they are shouting, laughing. Some are boys and some are girls. They are throwing a ball around.
Now picture that these children have not met before, they do not live in the same neighborhood, their parents are not friends. They don't even speak the same language at home, and their cultures have been divided for centuries.
Somehow, as they play together, none of that matters.
This is what Play Global is working on in Israel. Along with the Israel Association of Baseball, we are running a program called Baseball Le'Kulam, or Baseball for All. The simple idea - bring Jewish and Arab kids together in Israel, teach them to play baseball, let them get to know each other. And it works. We had our first clinic in March and I got to see it first hand. Here's my favorite quote from a Jewish girl who participated:
“The Arab
kids were not really so
different - and they were more normal than most of the kids in my class."
And all this costs some money. Not a ton of money, but we can't do it for free.
The real reason I am changing topics today is to ask for your help. I'm inviting you to join our team:
https://www.crowdrise.com/baseballinisrael-playglobal/fundraiser/playglobal
I don't ask much of you, other than to bear with me during my ramblings. I don't advertise and I enjoy writing for you without even knowing who most of you are.
But I am asking to be a part of this project and make a donation. How big or small is up to you.
Tom and I are running an online campaign to keep Baseball Le'Kulam going for the rest of this year. If we can raise enough, it could carry forward into next year too.
You can donate online. Here is the link one more time:
https://www.crowdrise.com/baseballinisrael-playglobal/fundraiser/playglobal
If you can donate, or even if you can't, please share this cause and the link with your friends and contacts. Kids, baseball, respect, peace... causes we can all believe in.
If you want to read a funnier blog post about the same cause, check out the King of Jewish Baseball.
And thank you, in advance. Now back to our regularly scheduled rambling.
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