HUMBOLDT PARK — The Roberto Clemente Little League of Humboldt Park is gearing up for another year of baseball on fields across Humboldt Park — but first it needs some help raising funds.
Registration for the current season started Tuesday, but a Go Fund Me crowdsourced fundraiser is up and running for the 2015 series. As of Monday night it had reached $230 of its $10,000 goal.
The funds will be used to help keep registration costs affordable, sponsor those athletes who can’t afford the fees, help support tournament fees and provide equipment and uniforms for the upcoming baseball season, according to league board member and Humboldt Park native April Curtis.
“We’re not an organization that gets [public] funding,” she said. “We try to keep it cost effective so our families have the opportunity to play.”
And the league has other benefits, she added, noting that crime in the immediate area is down during the season, which typically opens in May.
According to the league’s Go Fund Me, the league is aimed at keeping kids safe and off the streets by providing Little League sanctioned baseball in Humboldt Park.
While the regular season starts during the city’s warm months, year-round activities include youth baseball clinics for kids 12 and under. The clinics are aimed at giving kids a feel for the game, Curtis said.
“And we don’t charge $300 to $400 like other parks,” said Curtis, a lifelong lover of baseball. “We don’t pocket anything we charge, we put it right back into the community — so were able to stretch every dollar.
“The parents there are doing it for the love of the game — for the love of the community,” she added.
The league accepts kids and young adults ages 2-18 for the following fees:
- Toddler (2-4 year olds): $60
- T-ball (4-6 year olds): $100
- 8U (7-8 year olds): $185
- 10U (9-10 year olds): $200
- 12U (11-12 year olds): $200
- 14U (13-14 year olds): $200
- 16U (15-16 year olds): $200
- 18U (17 - 18 year olds): $200
Check out the team’s Go Fund Me account to help fund a specific child or the league as a whole ahead of the upcoming season at Little Cubs Field. Registration for the 2015 season starts Tuesday at 2448 W. Division St. from 6:30-8 p.m. (remember your child's birth certificate, a small photo and three proofs of residency).
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