In honor of National Volunteer Month, the Home Depot Foundation in collaboration with East Side Little League (ESLL) partnered on Monday, April 12, to refresh the nonprofit’s baseball infield for local veterans.
The event at East Side Little League Tri Fields, 11037 S. Avenue H, brought together Team Depot, the Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, working alongside ESLL to complete a project that reflects CDC and government safety guidelines.
“Team Depot removed the current baseball infield and replaced it with a fresh infield to create a more welcoming environment for the East Side Little League and local veteran community,” said the Home Depot Foundation via a press release.
“In addition, volunteers will install sod, mulch and work with a licensed contractor to install a sprinkler system. Updates to the ESLL baseball field will allow the nonprofit organization, which is run by local veterans and police officers, to better serve children of all ages in low-income neighborhoods within the south side of Chicago.”
According to the Home Depot Foundation, the Chicago project is part of The Home Depot Foundation’s celebration of National Volunteer Month as Team Depot associates across the U.S. continue to invest their time and sweat equity into serving the communities where they live and work.
The service projects for this spring will include outdoor beautification initiatives, including gardening and landscaping for community spaces and unoccupied residences, as well as building specialized relief kits for frontline workers, veterans, those impacted by natural disasters, families facing food insecurity and more.
“Giving back to combat-wounded, homeless and senior veterans is personal to The Home Depot since more than 35,000 of the company’s associates are veterans or active-duty military,” said Home Depot. “To date, The Home Depot Foundation has donated more than $350 million to veterans in need – and the Foundation is committed to investing half of a billion dollars by 2025.”
The Foundation’s goal is to work to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. To date, the Foundation has invested more than $350 million in support of veterans in need.
In addition to the Foundation’s contributions, East Side Little League is a nonprofit organization, committed to providing children of all ages a place to play the game of baseball.
“Inspiring the attributes of character, loyalty, and courage, our most important goal is to help our children develop their full potential, both on and off the field,” says East Side Little League’s mission statement.
“While on the field, we help our children develop confidence, energy, strategy, managing failure, and being great team players. Off the field, it is our goal to help them develop academic skills, leadership acumen, accountability, and community service. We help instill all these attri- butes with great commitment from our coaches, parents, and community of successful mentors.”
According to the organization, East Side Little League is also a place where children will make new friends, and create memories that last a lifetime. As an organization, its purpose is to create a healthy experience for players, parents, and community members creating a culture that attracts players and improves volunteer participation year after year.
To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound
and Facebook + Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
