Project
Mission Statement:
"Our goal is to increase the opportunities for America’s youth to enjoy the game of baseball in inner cities and beyond, and to provide an equal playing field for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity and skill level."
The Torii Hunter Project is designed to stop the disappearance of the sandlot baseball diamond from our neighborhoods and communities and to provide America's youth in inner cities and poor rural communities, regardless of race or ethnicity, with opportunities to learn this great game. The project’s goals include:
- Reaching out to our youth so that they come to see baseball as an exciting sport in which everyone can participate
- Providing funding for proper baseball training
- Providing funding and availability for proper facilities
- Teaching the character building and teamwork aspects of baseball
- Providing youth with a viable recreational alternative to other activities that so often lead to problems
I hope you share my passion about the game that I love. Tackling the inner city is our first step in what we believe will be a long term project. In fact, we are in the process of planning much more!
Many of my Major League friends are involved and they will tell you their success did not start at the Major League level, it started during T-Ball and Little League, in the backyard and on the streets. We started playing as youngsters and have continued to play the game we love. We simply want to encourage kids to play the game, enjoy the competition, and learn the character lessons that baseball has to offer. The opportunity to play does not start at the Major League level as young men, it starts at the adolescent and youth ages. In other words, it does not start at the top "it starts at the bottom".
Our first step is to make an effort to encourage kids to play the game of baseball in the inner cities where so many kids are overlooked and have limited resources and opportunities. We believe there is a direct correlation between the number of kids playing youth baseball and those who reach the Major Leagues. Did you know that the number of African American Major League players has dramatically decreased over the last 10 years? In fact, the number of African American Major Leaguers has dwindled down from 27% in 1978 to 8% in 2006. Perhaps with our efforts and the efforts of many others, we can improve on this statistic.
I will never forget that it is baseball that enabled me to escape and make a life for me and my family. I shared a portion of my private life with USA Today. I felt a need to let people know that we all have issues and that regardless of the circumstances we all have an opportunity to make something of our lives. I did not grow up with a "silver spoon" in my mouth. I had to fight, scratch and claw for everything I have achieved. This is why the Little League's Urban Initiative Program was of interest to me. Perhaps there are some kids that need to know this story, but most importantly, they need to know that regardless of the circumstances, they can make something of their lives if they keep trying.
© 2008 TORII HUNTER |