International Stars Baseball, a free inner-city youth program for kids ages 8-18, received an equipment grant from PIFBS in 2020.
The equipment helped alleviate the financial burden on families to provide equipment and freed up resources for staff to purchase other essential gear. The success of events that International Stars offers to kids enabled them to place one student-athlete on scholarship at Concordia University Ann Arbor, and has led to other players receiving scholarships and interest from other schools around the country.
One 14-year old boy had hit a growth spurt and could no longer swing his little league bat, but wasn’t able afford a new one. He struggled to make contact at the plate, and his confidence dropped when he saw that other kids had their own proper-sized bats.
“Thanks to the donation, we were able to give him a bat that worked for him with length and weight and it really made a difference! He has a chance to play college baseball with his talent, and this may have kept him encouraged enough to stick with baseball instead of turning to football.” – Justin Prinstein, Founder/Executive Director
· Years Involved:2020