TURN TWO FOR YOUTH COLLECTS BASEBALL EQUIPMENT IN SOUTH SUBURBS

The Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau is once again hosting the Turn Two For Youth sports drive across Chicago’s south suburbs. From now until Oct. 8, gently used baseball equipment can be dropped off at several locations and from there, it will make it’s way across the world to active kids in need.
The Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau is once again hosting the Turn Two For Youth sports drive across Chicago’s south suburbs. From now until Oct. 8, gently used baseball equipment can be dropped off at several locations and from there, it will make it’s way across the world to active kids in need.

Turn Two For Youth Collects Baseball Equipment In South Suburbs

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

The Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau is once again hosting the Turn Two For Youth sports drive across Chicago’s south suburbs. From now until Oct. 8, gently used baseball equipment can be dropped off at several locations and from there, it will make it’s way across the world to active kids in need.

Turn Two for Youth is a non-profit organization, based in North Carolina, that was formed to collect and distribute baseball equipment to active children worldwide.

Despite the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Florence, Turn Two For Youth is still on schedule for their November shipment which will include the baseball equipment that is collected in the south suburbs.

“We want to give every kid a chance to play the game. Baseball and softball are expensive sports. It can cost $500 to outfit a kid and that's a reoccurring expense every year as each kid grows and needs different size equipment. Some families are just trying to make ends meet and choices have to be made. We often make the difference in whether a kid plays or not,” said Vince Chalena, executive director of Turn Two For Youth.

This is the third year that The Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting the Turn Two For Youth sports drive and items can be dropped off at The Oaks Recreation and Fitness Center in Mokena, the Matteson Recreational Center, the Midlothian Park District, and the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau office in Lansing. Accepted donations include new and gently used bats, fielding gloves, cleats, batting helmets, uniforms, and equipment bags and other equipment.

After the equipment is collected, it is shipped to Charlotte, North Carolina where it is cleaned, refurbished and stored until a complete container of gear can be shipped to creditable volunteer organizations, like churches and baseball organizations, to ensure the equipment gets to the kids that need it.

“The gear collected from this drive will likely be distributed in a couple of places. We are working with MLB in the Dominican Republic using baseball's popularity there to reach kids in rural areas, with an emphasis on promoting education and civic responsibility. A shipment is planned for November,” said Chalena.

Turn Two For Youth supplies the equipment for young people across the world to play baseball because they know that the opportunity to join a sports team does much more than just keep kids active.

“We strongly believe that a good coach can help parents prepare their kids for success. The very idea of being included on a team and participate in team dynamics has a profound impact on a kid's state of mind. It will help to develop social skills that will remain with that young man or young woman for the rest of their lives. We all need a mentor and often that mentor for our youth is a coach,” said Chalena.

Financial donations are also accepted at www.crowdrise.com/donate/charity/turn-two-for-youth.

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