Nationwide initiative to provide play opportunities to youth in communities across America
Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander will host a free baseball and softball camp for local youth at Catawba College, Saturday, Sept. 9, as part of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) continued support of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) “PLAY BALL SUMMER” initiative. The program focuses on the fun nature of baseball, and encourages an active and healthy lifestyle for kids in all communities.
“I am excited to host Major League Baseball’s PLAY BALL program right here in our community,” said Mayor Alexander. “Salisbury is a baseball and softball city -- from the 2015 Rowan County Little League World Series Girls Softball Champions to the boys baseball state champions, to the high number of former and current residents who have gone on to play baseball professionally. So, when the program was presented at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. last year, I signed up the City of Salisbury immediately. I want to give a huge thank you to Catawba College’s baseball and softball coaches and team members for providing the equipment, the fields and leadership to make this event happen for our youth.”
"This is truly an honor for us and for our Catawba athletes to share a game that we all love,” said Jim Gantt, Catwaba College head baseball coach. “We hope to positively influence and teach fundamentals to all the youth who attend the clinic. We are all looking forward to this being a great experience this year, and hope that it can be a yearly event."
Salisbury boys and girls, age seven to 15, will receive instruction from the Catawba College baseball and softball teams at the campus’ Newman park baseball field at 598 Summit Ave., from 9 a.m. until noon. Free transportation will be provided from Hall Gym and the Civic Center, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration is recommended by calling (704) 638-5286.
This summer, mayors across the country, as part of USCM, are implementing the PLAY BALL initiative with the goal of exposing children to the “national pastime” and providing a fun opportunity to remain active throughout the summer and into the fall.
The City of Salisbury, America’s first 10-gigabit city, is located in the heart of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, midway between Charlotte and Greensboro. Salisbury is the county seat of Rowan County, and provides a full range of municipal services, including law enforcement, fire protection, zoning and code enforcement and water and sewer systems. For more information regarding the City of Salisbury and its services and departments, please visit us on the web at www.salisburync.gov. To receive updates regarding local initiatives, meetings, programs and events, please follow us on Twitter at @CitySalisburyNC and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CitySalisburyNC.