Chuck Brady, vice president of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and a past member of our club, spoke to the work the foundation is doing nationwide and here in Richmond.
Named in honor of the Baltimore Orioles manager after his passing in 2001, it was established to use baseball and softball as a means to teach life lessons to underprivileged youth and has assisted 700,000 children in 48 states. The foundation's goal, borrowing a quote from Billy Ripken, is "not to create major league players, but major league people."
Locally, Brady said the foundation is working with the Boys and Girls Club to build a state of the art youth development facility in the Bainbridge area of South Richmond. The facility will have a turf field and be one of the nicest athletic facilities in the area and hopes to break ground in the fall.
"It will be the nicest, safest, positive place to play sports outdoors," he said. He also said Hall of Fame baseball player Cal Ripken, Jr. would make an appearance at its opening.
Brady said the organization works with children to teach them life lessons, but most importantly about the need to delay immediate gratification. For example, dropping out of school or breaking into homes are bad decisions and how those choices can impact your future.
Another program the foundling is involved in is Badges for Baseball which brings together law enforcement officers and children from tougher environments on the baseball field as a means to build trust between the two and to help teach life lessons.
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