Long Branch Baseball Team Lending A Helping Hand to Community

Long Branch Baseball Coach John Perri and his team believe that helping the community is as big a part of what they do as hitting curveballs and turning a double play.

Perri's team proved that when it helped out the Long Branch community after Hurricane Sandy.

"It's not just about baseball, it's about building character," Perri said. "That's what's really important."

The week before Christmas, the baseball team organized an event where they handed out clothing, food and other supplies for people affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The event was held at the Morris Avenue School and most of the supplies were either donated by members of the team or local companies.

"These kids just went about their business without any fanfare," Perri said.

His team also raked leaves in the fall for 15 local families, and all they asked for in return was a donation to help their team.

Any money that was raised was used to purchase new undershirts for their baseball uniforms.

The team's latest initiative is a bracelet sale that will benefit the March of Dimes. The bracelets will have the words "Restore The Shore" engraved on them.

The team will also be passing out water at different stations during the New Jersey Marathon on Sunday, May 5.

"I think all of these things are important, because you want to teach them lessons beyond the baseball field," Perri said. "At times you have to do something without getting anything back. I think those are values we like to instill in the players and the program."