“Play ball!” It’s a common call heard on any baseball field. Yet on St. Maarten at the Little League Ball Park on Pond Island, the words reading, math and science come first. And thanks to some very dedicated volunteers from American University in the Caribbean (AUC) Medical School in Cupecoy, ball players are making strides academically while training for the games.
Saturday, October 17, was Community Action day for students and family at AUC. Cars and fans of students, spouses and friends were fired all over the island to help the community in which they live. The AUC volunteers had a choice to work with the Alzheimer’s Foundation, Diabetes Screening, Community Garden, Mullet Bay Clean-up, St. Maarten Zoo, SXM Paws, Animal Welfare or White Yellow Cross, along with several other options.
One group of nearly 20 ended up at Little League Ballpark. There they worked with children ages five to 13. Before a ball was thrown or caught, the children had to read as part of the Leagues Player Development Program. The Program runs six days a week. Monday through Friday, reading, math and science are done from 2:30 to 3:30pm, after which the children practice their baseball skills. The group starts at 9:30am on Saturdays.
“I love organized service projects,” said Breana Johnson from the AUC group. Nearly two dozen projects were organized for the day. “Ben (Goldsmith) and I decided to go help with the Little League Player Development Program, since I already volunteer with this organization.”
Each child has his reading level tested; and then working with his school teacher, a program is tailored to their individual needs. As the AUC volunteers arrived at the Ball Park, they were paired up with young athletes in need of reading help. Ten to 12 volunteers were expected along with the regular Saturday morning crowd. “I think we have more volunteers than children,” said Lisa Burnett, one of the Program’s leaders.
Also on the field and ready to help was Silveria Jacobs. The Parliamentarian spends most Saturday mornings teaching baseball basics to children – both boys and girls – ages four to eight. “Today they had so many reading volunteers – many of our Peewee Leaguers had a 10-15 minute reading session in the middle of practice,” said Jacobs. “So many said to me, ‘Coach, can I go to read now, please?’ The teacher in me was so proud to hear that.”
After the reading of a book or two and receiving a baseball card as a reward for good work, the little ones returned to their regular practice to hit balls, run bases and field balls from their peers. “Life is sweet when you see it through their eyes. We had a great turnout today; 30-40 boys and girls came out and had a blast until the rain came.”
After the reading, math and science was done, the AUC students took a short break, forced inside due to rain. The children did not mind. They sat with the volunteers – many on the floor – and played Legos, used the microscope, dug for fossils and even tried out the remote control robot.
The Player Development program is designed as a fun time. Children are rewarded for effort. If they just try to read or work out a math problem, they receive a baseball card. If they are successful, they get to pick the card; and if they score perfect marks on three pieces of work, they receive play time to try out all the interesting things in the club house, including a train set.
The AUC volunteers found space to sit and they pitched right in. Some helped with reading. Some supervised and showed the children how to use the gym equipment. Some worked with the microscope and one even cleaned the track so the train would run faster and smoother.
Once the rain stopped, the recently installed artificial grass outfield drained quickly and it was time for sliding practice, pitching and pop flies. Everyone had a great time on the field. Children and adults played catch. There was running and laughter. There was sliding and even some pretty spectacular diving catches. “Being out there was great,” said Goldsmith. “There’s something meditative about throwing the baseball.”
Finally, it was time for the children to go home. The AUC group loaded up into a van and two cars and headed back to the Medical School. “I wish we could sustain this number of people, but it usually ebbs and flows with school work,” explained Goldsmith. Several of the AUC group already volunteer two or three days a week. More help is expected.
