Gloves for Kids
At the end of the 1998 Major League Baseball season, I was chatting with a broadcasting friend of mine in Minnesota about making a contribution to the community. I had just completed my fourth season as radio and television broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins. I was already involved in Twins-related community events but I wanted to take that involvement to another level. My friend, radio talk show host Dark Star, and I ran through several ideas over lunch at The Loon in downtown Minneapolis. Dark and I eventually agreed that we wanted to do something for underprivileged youth that incorporated baseball. We both lamented the fact that most urban kids were turning to football and basketball as an athletic outlet. Baseball's stock had dropped in the inner-city. But how could we convince kids to give baseball a try? What could we do to make a baseball-lasting first impression?
The answer was right in front of us. Dark and I both reflected back on our first significant baseball memories and, despite our 25-year age gap, we both had the same response: going to a Major League Baseball game and receiving our first glove. We all remember the first big league game we attended and we certainly remember that first beautiful piece of leather that instantly made us a baseball player. Dark and I dreamed of taking both of those experiences and making it one special day for a young boy or girl. How about attending a Minnesota Twins game and going on the field to get your first glove? Not just some plastic, toy glove; a real glove that could be used for many years. We decided to call the event Gloves for Kids.
As fate would have it, I accepted a job to become radio announcer for the Kansas City Royals one week following my conversation with Dark Star. We never did approach the Twins with our idea. However, I did share my idea with Shani Tate when I joined the Royals. Shani was the Royals Director of Community Relations and was involved with the fast growing RBI Program, sponsored by Major League Baseball and the Boys and Girls Clubs. RBI, in this case, stands for Reviving Baseball for youth in the Inner cities. Shani and I set out to make Gloves for Kids a reality in Kansas City.
With the blessing of the Royals (President Dan Glass, Senior Vice President Mark Gorris), Dick's Sporting Goods and their wonderful Community Marketing Coordinator, Stacy Alderson, Gloves for Kids became a reality on May 24, 2001 at Dick's Sporting Goods in Olathe, KS. With Royals players and coaches signing autographs to raise money for the effort, Gloves for Kids raised enough money to buy over 800 gloves for the Kansas City RBI Program. Later that summer, the kids attended a Royals game and were presented their new glove before taking a pre-game walk on the field.
Gloves for Kids returned on July 14, 2002 raising money to buy over 400 gloves for RBI Program, the Don Bosco Center, and the Guadalupe Center. With the help of a couple of friends, Gloves for Kids spread its wings in 2003. Former Royals pitcher Jeff Suppan, and Pirates announcer Greg Brown combined to host the event at a Dick's Sporting Goods store in Pittsburgh. The event raised $10,000 toward new baseball gloves for over 400 kids who participate in the Pittsburgh B.I.G. League Sports/RBI Program. The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers have also adopted the Gloves for Kids program. All told, Gloves for Kids has raised over $70,000, providing close to 3,000 new gloves.