Games People Play by Joe Rossi … Local Chevy Dealers Support Little Leagues

Local Chevrolet dealers are coming through for little baseball organizations in their communities. In these times of economic crisis, volunteer groups such as many youth sports organizations, rely upon the generosity of donors and the hours and hours of time given by caring parents and community members.
Gentilini Chevrolet of Woodbine has forged a partnership with the Cape May County Little League, based primarily in Dennis Township, Woodbine and Seaville.
As part of an overall Chevrolet initiative called “Chevy Youth Baseball Program,” local dealers are acting in the spirit of community and team-work to assist little league in adding new equipment and needed team sponsorships.
Monetary donations range from about $1,500 for equipment to another $500 for team sponsor-ships of nine to 12-year-old squads for the 2010 youth baseball season.
Now in its fourth year, Chevy Youth Base-ball is a grassroots ini-tiative that establishes a positive relationship between local dealers and the communities they serve. The Gentilini effort is part of the automaker’s nation-wide commitment to support youth sports, one community at a time.
Over the course of the season, Gentilini will donate equipment bags, baseballs, softballs, catcher’s gear, batting helmets, ball buckets, umpire equipment, scorebooks, and first aid kits.
Each sponsored league will take part in “The Chevy Youth Baseball Double Play Giveaway” which is a fundraiser that can earn each league up to $10,000. “The Chevy Youth Baseball Double Play Giveaway” features a grand prize of a 2010 Chevy Equinox, in addition to other great prizes such as HD televisions, courtesy of the local Chevrolet dealership.
Burke Motors is going to bat for the Lower Cape May Regional Little League.
“They are helping us out with the equipment donations and the team sponsorship,” said Nancy Stone, president of the LCM Little League. “Burke has been really nice. They’ve even offered to host a pizza party for their sponsor-ship team. We can really put this money to good use by updating our equipment and covering sponsorship expenses.”
Thanks to Burke and Gentilini dealerships, league participants will have a chance to attend a Chevy Youth Baseball Instructional Clinic with a professional baseball team in the area.
“We are looking for-ward to a great season with Cape May County Little League that will be filled with exciting games and an enhanced experience for the teams through the equipment and cash donations, said a Chevy spokesperson. “Chevy Youth Baseball is just one example of how committed our dealer-ship is to supporting the youth and families in the South Seaville community.”
The 2010 program will provide assistance to 200 leagues in the northeastern region. Chevrolet dealers will contribute more than $400,000 in monetary and equipment donations.
Technology, economics, cable television, a litigious society, and product marketing aimed at youth are among the many factors contributing to a decline in youth sports participation and childhood obesity.
Programs such as this Chevy initiative are at-tempts to offset this unfortunate lack of in-terest by many children in being active in whole-some activities such as youth baseball and softball.
Caps to off to Chevy and the many volunteers who continue to make the little league experi-ence a small piece of Americana for children everywhere.
Reach Rossi at jo-erossi61@comcast.net