Kids in Nicaragua Can Play Baseball With Bats and Balls Instead of Fruit and Rakes

Courtesy Photos

ARLINGTON, MA - In Nicaragua, as in Arlington, kids are crazy about baseball.

Christmas came early to many kids in Nicaragua thanks to the generosity of many in the community.

Police Capt. Richard Flynn has been involved in Arlington’s Youth Baseball and Softball Association for many years, and he shared this good news story for the holidays.

The local baseball association was approached in Spring by a local non-profit asking for help with the children of the small, rural community of Valle de Casa in Central Nicaragua who were in desperate need of baseball equipment. The kids there had been using dried-out fruits as baseballs and rake handles as bats.

On May 3, the Arlington Youth Baseball and Softball Association held a used baseball equipment and apparel collection in conjunction with its Dana-Farber Cancer Institute blood drive in May.

The generosity of the Arlington baseball community was overwhelming, according to Capt. Flynn. Enough used equipment and uniforms were collected to outfit several teams in Nicaragua.

Recently, in conjunction with the end of the rainy season in Nicaragua, the equipment and clothing was delivered to the children of Valle de Casa. The Agua Para La Vida Health Promoter in the region assisted with this process and reported that the kids were absolutely ecstatic.

The President of Agua Para La Vida Nicaragua, Aynn Setright, wrote in an email, “This was a beautiful act of solidarity and kindness, and makes so many people happy. What the children have received from the good folks of Arlington is beyond their wildest dreams. They will remember it and the day they received it for the rest of their lives.”

The local baseball association also received numerous heartwarming letters of thanks from the children who were recipients of the baseball gear.

In the next few weeks, APLV Nicaragua plans to deliver equipment and clothing to several more villages in the area.

The Arlington Youth Baseball and Softball Association would like to take this opportunity to thank the Arlington baseball community and all those who donated their used baseball equipment in May.

Arlington Youth Baseball and Softball Association would also like to thank their new friends at Rural Water Ventures for their assistance in collecting, shipping and transporting the equipment to Nicaragua.

“Your efforts have certainly helped to enrich the lives of the children in Valle de Casa and exemplify the true meaning of the holiday season,” Capt. Flynn wrote.

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