Jenks Buddy Baseball Event Benefits Children with Autism
The Buddy Baseball Game is a wonderful annual event to benefit children with autism from the Jenks school district and surrounding areas.
Jenks Trojans baseball players, in collaboration with the Autism Center of Tulsa, will play the seventh annual Buddy Baseball game this Sunday, October 27, from 3 – 5 p.m. at Hinch Field in Jenks. The annual game benefits children with autism from the Jenks school district and surrounding area and provides an afternoon of special fellowship and fun.
This is the seventh year Jenks Baseball will host this event. “It is an honor and privilege for us to provide this fun afternoon of baseball,” said Jenks Trojans Baseball Head Coach Dan Morgan. “The program has grown each year and the players look forward to this event and building these relationships – some of which were established in previous years,” added Morgan.
Groups of two or three players are paired with a child “buddy” from the The Autism Center of Tulsa. Parents cheer from the stands, while players assist their buddy with hitting, running, and fielding. The buddies are announced over the loudspeaker individually and, the national anthem will be sung live, prior to the start of the game.
Sixteen special needs children will be paired with Jenks High School baseball players for a thrilling game of baseball. Each child receives a Buddy Baseball t-shirt, a goodie bag full of fun gifts to take home, a trophy with an autographed baseball and photo from their Jenks buddies. This game is announced by Jenks baseball announcer Dusty Goddard, who does a wonderful job and the Jenks cheer and pom squads add some excellent spirit and entertainment.
“The camaraderie and compassion shown by the Jenks baseball team for their buddies is heartwarming. They are so genuine and truly enjoy making the game and afternoon special for the children associated with The Autism Center, shared Jennifer Sollars Miller, Co-Founder and Director of The Autism Center of Tulsa. “As a parent of our son Josh who has special needs and plays in the game each year, I am so appreciative of the time and effort the Jenks High School Baseball players, coaches, and booster club put into making this a special day for our kids. There simply are not words to describe the joy my own son has playing baseball every year.”
Coach Morgan agrees and shared, “This day is as special to us as winning a state championship; it’s one of our best days of our year. Sometimes former players, who are playing baseball in college, come home on this day to seeing their buddy and be a part of the event.”
After the baseball game, the players are awarded trophies and enjoy pizza donated by Hideaway Pizza. Special thanks to our generous sponsors, WEBCO Industries, Arvest Bank, Cyntergy , The Trojan Shop, Hideaway Pizza, who donates pizza, Enterprises, who supply the t-shirts, World Baseball Outreach who supplies helmets, bats and gloves and to all the fans who come to cheer for the teams. Finally, a huge thank you goes to the Jenks Baseball teams, parents and coaches who make this awesome event possible. Special thanks to the Jenks Booster Club Parents who serve to make this a fantastic event for all involved.
Updated 10-25-2013
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