Volume 1:   No. 1,   No. 2,   No. 3

Volume 2:   No. 1,   No. 2,   No. 3,   No. 4

Volume 3:   No. 1   No. 2,  

We are very pleased to announce that six new organizations have joined in partnering with FOB. Yes, we consider our grantees partners, as funding alone can never fulfill the needs of our youth baseball and softball communities. Our goal is always to leverage our funding to fully maximize its potential with these organizations in support of our shared vision. Congratulations to each of these organizations for showing our Trustees their resolve in meeting their leagues potential!

• Special Olympics of Oregon — $3,000 for softball equipment
• Amity High School Baseball — $4,390 field upgrades
• Tillamook High School — $5,000 Challenge Grant for hitting facility
• Mt. Hood Junior Baseball — $2,500 Challenge Grant for fields & tractor
• Gresham High School — $2,000 Challenge Grant to assist with hitting facility

The Portland Beavers in partnership with FOB are very pleased to announce this year’s coveted honorees for Coach and Volunteer of the year! Our two organizations wish to honor all of the selfless individuals who sacrifice much of their spring and summer to bring our game and our kids to fields throughout our region. Each and every one of you deserves this honor.

We needed to find two individuals to represent all of your efforts in 2008. Clearly this is one of the most difficult decisions our two organizations must wrap our arms around!

2008 Volunteer of the Year

Todd Sonflieth ~ Putnam Youth Baseball Organization

2008 Coach of the Year

Brian Yates ~ David Douglas Youth Baseball

Todd, Brian and all of our finalists will be honored on the field at PGE Park at Beaver games May 31st and June 1st

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=121140581785863400

We are very pleased to announce that, through your efforts, we were able to ensure this year’s season for Vernonia Youth Baseball and Clatskanie Little League. Amazingly, we presented these leagues with nearly $30,000 in funding, equipment and goods and services to allow them to get back on their feet. We would like to thank all of the generous individuals and companies who not only stepped up to the plate, but hit a home run! Yes, one Pure Million Thank Yous for helping these organizations in need.

We continue our efforts in assisting the Vernonia and Clatskanie leagues that were devastated by the December flooding. You can help too by making a donation at any U.S. Bank to the Oregon Sports Authority Foundation / Friends of Baseball account. Scroll down this page for further information.

Also, we are looking for your favorite Coach or Volunteer for this year’s induction ceremony at P.G. E. Park with the Beavers. These many giving individuals deserve your time and our consideration. Scroll down this page for further details. We look forward to hearing from you!

With this group of very deserving grantees, FOB’s Board of Trustees has granted more than in any previous granting cycle. What does this tell you about these grantees? When our Trustees addressed their criteria of compelling need, this group truly rose to the top in our community. We would like to congratulate each of these leagues, their teams and communities.

• Clatskanie Little League ~ $5,000 for field recovery
• Vernonia Youth Baseball ~ $2500 in scholarships to families suffering loss
• Forest Grove High School ~ $2,564 netting for batting facility
• Redlands Baseball and Softball ~ $1,898 for storage facility
• Forest Grove Junior Baseball ~ $2,000 funding for infield dirt

At the recently completed FOB/ N.W. Star coaches’ clinic, Ben and I presented a very personal award. Our foundation relies heavily upon the generous support of our many Partner Providers. A league came to us a year ago and asked how they could help. This organization has, time and time again, answered the bell, often well before it became silent. It was truly an honor to present Sean Calhoon and Lakeridge Pacer JBO with the 2007 Friends of Baseball Founders Award at this well attended event. Congratulations and our many thanks to Pacer JBO. OregonLive.com pdf article.

The recent flooding in Oregon has placed significant hardships on two of our region’s youth baseball and softball leagues. Clatskanie’s Little League’s youth field found itself under four feet of water; all aspects of their field will need to be replaced. Vernonia Boosters are conducting an equipment drive to replace their stored athletic equipment that was a total loss during the storm. FOB is assisting with its partner providers to help these organizations get back on their feet.

For additional information and opportunities of how others might assist these worthy organizations please review the following: (Clatskanie, Vernonia Assesment)
Should you wish to help please contact us at info@friendsofbaseball.org for ways you might also help! or click here to find out "How can I make a difference?"

Once again, these two organizations will partner in 2008 to acknowledge the individuals who give of themselves to the youth baseball community: the coaches and team volunteers.

“We are very excited to encourage teams and leagues in our region to nominate these deserving individuals, and to recognize their efforts at our youth baseball celebration weekend May 31st and June 1st at the Beaver games at PGE Park,” remarked Keri Stoller of the Beavers, and Keenan Longcor of FOB, in a joint statement.

Two awards will be announced, one for a coach and one for a volunteer. Along with recognizing the winners, this event is a great opportunity to raise the visibility and awareness of the hundreds of individuals in this region who tirelessly dedicate themselves in order to allow youth baseball and softball to flourish. During these ceremonies, each honoree will be awarded $1,000 worth of equipment or funding for team necessities. Nominations will be accepted between February 1st and May 10, 2008. For additional information on how nominations will be accepted, please view Portlandbeavers.com or the attached PDF file. Tell one and all about this exciting event! We are looking for your nominations, so watch this website for further information and details!

We have been working with this organization to help them reach their goal of buying equipment to provide better field maintenance. Friends of Baseball will provide David Douglas JBO with $1,100 in matching funds to purchase a riding tractor mower.

Friends of Baseball and NW Star Productions and Academy are excited to announce a clinic for youth baseball coaches in our region. FOB Trustees, and Jerry Gatto, founder of NW Star Productions and Academy, are pleased to host this inaugural event as a opportunity to give back to the community of baseball. Jerry understands the needs of youth coaches, having coached for local high schools and at Lewis & Clark College. Jerry has hosted many similar clinics for coaches in past years; FOB is pleased to assist in creating this very powerful and exciting event. Details for the days activities include:

We will have four highly qualified coaches to provide clinics on: Essential Tools * Pitching and Hitting Drills * Building relationships * Fundraising and much more. The focus of the day will be in providing fundamental skills that translate to an enhanced field experience for coaches and their kids! We hope you will contact us and mark your "New 2008 Calendars" to insure you have a place reserved. Early sign up has been very strong, and we expect a full house for this year's season opening event. Our thanks to Jerry and his staff for sharing their amazing expertise. We share a collective desire to simply say "Thank You" to all the coaches who give to the community of baseball. Let us hear from you!

Our Trustees are pleased to announce we will begin accepting nominations to sponsor NEW teams being developed for the 2008 season. In talking with many of our league partners, we have learned how difficult it can be to line up enough extra equipment when enrollment expands. We also understand that this can occur late in the organizational process. If you know of a league that is planning on forming a NEW team, and who may qualify for our assistance, we hope to hear from you as well as them. This is what we are looking for and how we might help:

Please use our standard grant application criteria on our website.

This grant is intended to get a NEW team on its feet with assistance for one year.

FOB will review all nominations with a goal of assisting up to three teams in 2008.

We will provide up to $2,000 per grant in funds and or equipment from our resource partners.

Bats, balls, catcher's equipment, uniforms and other team related equipment will be areas for our assistance. Mitts and cleats may also be funded or provided as needed.

Applications should be received prior to March 1, 2008; sooner for those teams organizing sooner. As these grants will have been pre-approved by our board, we will have the luxury of moving fairly quickly.

Prior to funding, team enrollment will be reviewed in order to meet criteria.

Based on the prior year's enrollment, leagues can often anticipate their needs for the coming year in the pre-season winter meetings. Please help us get the word out. We are here to help, and looking forward to hearing from you!

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that with the expansion of our partner relationships and supporters we are now able to accept grant applications from Corvallis, Albany, Philomath and as far south on the coast as Newport. A map can be found on this site under the "Grants" link. We are very pleased to begin serving these areas. Please help us spread the word, as we are anxious to be of assistance!

This League in North East Portland was established over 50 years ago. Over all these years, unlike other leagues in our region, they have never had a home field. Thanks to the inspiration of Elliott and Gina Hill, this is about to change. Their goal is to complete their new "home field" at Fernwood Middle School this spring. FOB is pleased to grant this organization $2,500 towards the realization of their dream.

This enthusiastic group is committed to restoring a strong baseball program in their community with a vision to build a hitting facility that will assist in "leveling the playing field" with other competitors in their league. With the Booster Club's major fundraising now completed, FOB has pledged up to $3,000 upon reaching the balance of their fund raising goals.

Friends of Baseball recently established a working relationship with the Roberto's Kids Foundation, www.robertos-kids.org. This amazing organization was founded in 1999 to collect new and lightly used equipment for avid youth players in the Dominican Republic. Since this time, they have expanded their reach to six additional nations world-wide. Their goal this year is to distribute 100,000 lbs. of equipment in 2007. An opportunity may exist for this organization to assist some of our local grantees, and in turn FOB could support their vision by donating equipment for which we cannot find a home. Congratulations to Steve Pinder, their founder; it is a true honor to be working with him!

We would first like to thank all of you for your amazing response to our 2007 Coach and Volunteer of the Year Honorees. The Portland Beavers and our Board of Trustees reviewed all of your nominations. Suffice to say there is no question that in each and every one of our minds, all of those nominated could indeed have been selected as this year's honoree. Yes, all of these individual examples of selfless commitment to youth baseball and softball have become our heroes.

Coach of the Year Finalists

The 2007 Coach of the Year Selection:

Ron Wold, Beaverton JBO & Junior Little League

Ron has been coaching for over ten years in both the Little League and Junior Baseball of Oregon organizations. Ron is known far and wide and the "yes man" whenever an opportunity or challenge may arise. In 2002, he was awarded the Umpire's Sportsmanship Award in a post season tournament. By leading by example both on and off the field Ron exemplifies the spirit and vision of FOB.

Volunteer of the Year Finalists

The 2007 Volunteer of the Year Selection:

Kevin and Kellie Walker, Sellwood Jr. Baseball

This husband wife team has been a true inspiration to Sellwood Baseball. Their collective efforts include: coaching and coaches' training, field maintenance, administration, communications, community relations, and youth recruitment. Their personal touches are endless. . . . with a motto that suggests "We are not teaching baseball skills, we are teaching life skills, It's all about community!"

Friends of Baseball and the Portland Beavers have extended invitations to all finalists and our honorees for field level recognition and presentation celebrations. This is truly an amazing group of individuals, so please mark your calendars to honor these amazing individuals and their commitment to our communities during youth baseball weekend at P.G.E. Park. The 2007 Coach of the Year and all Finalists will be honored Saturday June 2nd, 7:05 PM game time. The 2007 Volunteer of the Year and all Finalists will be honored on Sunday June 3rd, 2:05 PM game time. These Finalists and Honorees are simply a reflection of the outstanding commitment by so many, including many of you, who devote themselves to youth baseball and softball. It's not too early to begin thinking about your nominations for our 2008 Honoree!

Pacer Junior Baseball of Oregon contacted FOB a number of weeks ago to determine if we would like to participate in their opening day kick off celebration. Their vision was one of how they might be able to give back to communities with greater need than their own. This event was a wonderful success, with dozens of pieces of used equipment donated, cash donations, and some amazing contacts with individuals who would like to assist FOB in extending our vision of helping youth baseball/softball where the need is great. Our trustees would like to thank these amazing individuals, and look forward to a wonderful working relationship going forward. If you have an organization that would also like to assist these kids in some form, or through a similar event, please contact us at: info@friendsofbaseball.org.

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