By Mark Gregory
Editorial Director
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglemewspapers.com
On March 22, just weeks before the start of the 2019 season, Belmont Little League suffered a big blow when much of its equipment was stolen from a shed on the property.
Rolls of fencing, fence posts, draggers, stainless steel stuff from the concession stand that was stored in the shed and even some equipment for the teams was all gone.
“We went a couple of days trying to come up with a game plan,” said vice president of Belmont Dan Vestal. “We dug into our own pockets and realized that wasn’t going to put a dent in it – the police estimated it at like $3,000 of stuff gone.”
Vestal then turned to the local media and WJOL host Scott Slocum.
(Photo Submitted)
“I had met Scott Slocum like four or five years ago at an event and his name popped back into my head and I reached out to him and explained the situation and told him that we didn’t know what way to turn and asked him for direction,” Vestal said. “He put us on the radio and it has taken off.
“It has been a humbling experience. I never expected the outpouring of support from the city. So many times you hear about the bad things, not the good things.
It has been a wonderful response. We have had cash donations, we are getting equipment from all over to make sure the kids have it for the start of the season. There is never a good time for this to happen, but for it to happen right before the start of the season, it just compounds the matter.”
Belmont Little League has been around since 1951 and is all about helping the community. The league is less worried about team records and is more concerned about teaching the game the right way. Vestal said board members have even assisted with league fees if a family falls on hard times.
It is that sense of community and family that has helped good things come out of a bad situation, teaching the Belmont players life lessons.
“It has renewed my faith in people. It has been an emotional roller coaster – we have older people, kids, everyone coming to help. We had a sports store donate boxes of equipment. We have had families donating some of their stuff. It puts it all in perspective,” he said. “I coach a 13-year-old team and two of the kids said, we understand what happened, but they didn’t understand why people who don’t know them are stepping up and helping. We told them it’s a chance to pay it forward.
We told them that someday there will be a moment that defines them and if they remember this, it will only make them a better person. This is a chance to talk about something good that came from something bad.
The official opening day for
Our official opening day is April 20 at 10 a.m. and we are inviting everyone that has helped us so that as a group we can say thank you.