Community Comes Together for Individuals with Special Needs
Northbrook, Ill. – Keshet, a nonprofit organization serving individuals with special needs, hosted it’s annual Buddy Baseball All Star Game, sponsored by the family of Jerome and Freda Joseph on June 28 at Kendrigan Field in Buffalo Grove from 1:00PM-2:30PM. Local radio station, 98.3 FM-WRLR, “The Voice of Lake County” was on site for a live broadcast. The Renegades 12u head coach Tim Murphy was interviewed by WRLR about his experience with the event and the Renegades participation over the years.
This year, Keshet took the field with players from the Lost Boyz, a nonprofit, grassroots organization that uses baseball as a community building and educational tools for at-risk youth from South Shore Chicago, and the Renegades, a travelling baseball team for boys ages 11-13 based in Des Plaines, IL.
This was the third Buddy Baseball All Star Game the Lost Boyz’s have played in. “We have such a great time participating in Buddy Baseball,” says LaVonte Stewart, Executive Director. The organization is awesome, the participants and families are warm and welcoming, and the gathering itself is absolutely an experience that is indicative of what American life is supposed to be—one of service, compassion, and dignity.” Keshet’s Buddy Baseball was established in 2002 and is facilitated by volunteer coach, Dean Klassman and his family. The program has 125 players every year. “We look forward to Buddy Baseball every year and feel very lucky that they can share the ‘joy of the game’ for a 9th season with such a remarkable group of kids,” says Pietro Argondizzo, the Renegades 12u general manager.
The Buddy Baseball All Star Game took place on Sunday, June 28 at 1:00PM at Kendrigan Field; 401 Aptakisic Road, Buffalo Grove, IL. Trophies were presented along with a pizza party after the event. For more information about the organization please contact Marni Sommerfield at 847.715.1672 or visit www.keshet.org.
About Keshet
Keshet: A Rainbow of Hope for Children and Adults with Special Needs is a nationally recognized, state-of-the-art 501 (c)(3) organization, providing community-based educational, recreational, and vocational programs for children, teens and young adults with varying and multiple developmental disabilities. Keshet’s goal is to enable children with disabilities to participate as fully as possible in the mainstream of community life.
