Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Badges for Baseball

The OJJDP FY 10 Earmarks Program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Conference Report to accompany the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117), H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 111-366 at 702-714.

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) uses the power of team sports, specifically baseball, to empower and inspire youth to make positive decisions pointing their lives on a path toward success. Through the Badges for Baseball program, CRSF will partner with community based organizations (CBOs) to promote healthy choices, help at-risk youth stay in school, stay away from negative peer groups, and off harmful substances. Badges for Baseball combines character education with a fun, healthy activity (baseball/softball/Quickball) while engaging volunteers and law enforcement representatives as mentors to foster positive relationships between youth and police. Additionally, the Swing for the Future program will refurbish and rebuild dangerous areas of the inner city to create one-of-a-kind Youth Development Parks. These parks, created by CRSF in conjunction with local partners, will provide young people with a place to play and interact with their mentors while simultaneously becoming a beacon of hope for underserved communities. Through these programs, Badges for Baseball and Swing for the Future, CRSF will deeply impact 15 communities nationwide. This funding will allow 200 youth to attend a CRSF Summer Camp or instructional clinic, 1,000 youth to participate in Badges for Baseball, and 3,000 youth to engage in healthy, out-of-school activities. NCA/NCF