January 3, 2024
Over the last few months, USSSA Baseball tournaments across the nation collected a total of 20,235 toys to be donated to a multitude of local charities.
These toys will be given to children who are less fortunate during the holiday season.
“The outpouring of toy donations has been nothing short of amazing. It’s heartening to see our communities come together, proving that the spirit of giving is a winning game for us all. To our USSSA baseball families, thank you for making a difference beyond the ballpark,” said USSSA National Baseball Director, Steve Hassett.
Just a few of the spots that will receive toys include various Toys for Tots locations, local churches and schools, police departments (in support of their local area toy drives), and other nonprofit organizations.
One of the tournaments that encouraged toy donations was the Upstate South Carolina Wiffle Ball Toy Drive (pictures below).
“We collected over 100 toys and donations that were given to the local Police departments to distribute. All League Baseball will be looking to get all our markets involved next year and in the years to come,” said USSSA South Carolina Tournament Director, Todd Miller.
In early November, USSSA Alabama hosted four different Toys for Tots tournaments in Montgomery, Gardendale, and Rainbow City, Alabama (pictures below).
“This is our sixth year hosting the toy drive. We support school systems with request for toys and the Marines/Police Toy Drive,” said USSSA Alabama Tournament Director, Dee Black. “We also donate to Curt’s Closet (operated by a former USSSA player) and a few food banks that specialize in feeding children.”
In early December, the USSSA Baseball Triangle Region group ran their first Holiday Toy Drive Wiffle Ball tournament (pictures below).
“We raised over 250 new toys from this event for our local partner, Community in Hope Ministries for their annual Christmas Miracle Mall,” said USSSA Baseball Triangle Region Area Director, Kevin Stockwell. “This event allows qualifying families to spend their day shopping for toys, clothing, toiletries and other needs free of charge around the holidays.”
Teams participating in the Toys for Tots tournament in Camarillo, California (pictures below) donated more than 2,800 toys, which will be donated to Safe Passage and Ignite the Light of Hope foundations.
The USSSA Baseball Winter Nationals: Toys for Tots tournament (pictures below) served as a powerful reminder of the impact we can make when communities unite for a common cause.
“One hundred and ninety-five bikes and approximately 4,000 toys were generously donated by our amazing teams, parents, coaches, and sponsors. We want to extend a special thank you to the teams that participated in our event, our hard-working staff, Jerry Broussard and the Lafayette area Toys for Tots chapter, as well as the cities of Abbeville, Broussard, Carencro, Crowley, Eunice, and Scott, for the continued collaboration to make this event possible. The support of everyone means the world to us and will bring joy to so many children during this holiday season,” added Kayla Odom, USSSA Louisiana Tournament Director.
In Arizona, teams donated close to 1,000 toys during the Toys for Tots event (pictures below), as well as over $1,800 in monetary donations.
“We decided to help a few smaller non-profit organizations with our toy collection, knowing they would benefit tremendously from the support. We are grateful for our baseball community and their willingness to help bring joy to those who need it most,” said USSSA Arizona State Director, Eric Bell.
USSSA appreciates all of the players, parents, and directors that helped give back to their local communities by donating toys this holiday season.
