By Kayla Donnenfeld
Long Island Giving Help Together for Charity is my column, where I spotlight a different Long Island-based charity each month.
For this column, I focus on the League of Yes, a not-for-profit organization that establishes and operates baseball and basketball programs for people of all ages with disabilities.
The League of Yes strives to help players develop social skills and increase self-esteem while promoting community support and sponsorship for its programs.
The League of Yes offers its baseball games in Farmingdale and East Meadow. Seasons are played over 12-week periods– six weeks in the spring and six weeks in the fall, with all games taking place on Saturdays after 9 a.m.
In addition to the baseball league, the League of Yes hosts a skills program led by former professional and college baseball players and assisted by aspiring ball players from local travel baseball teams.
A special component of the baseball games run by the League of Yes is that each player gets to bat once per inning and every hit counts as a home run. Crowds cheer as players cross home plate, no matter how long it takes to circle the bases. The structure of the games allows players to focus on participation and fun rather than competition.
The League of Yes offers its basketball program in Islip. The schedule can be found on the League of Yes’ website – https://leagueofyes.org/basketball-schedule/.
The League of Yes’ BUDDY (“Beacuase Unbelievable Dedication Deserves YOU!”) program is a vital part of its success. Each League of Yes player is assigned a Buddy for each game as part of this program. The Buddy is there to protect the player from balls, assist the player in batting and running the bases, and to be a friend on and off the field.
You can support the League of Yes by volunteering to be a baseball or basketball buddy. In addition to volunteering your time, you can support the League of Yes by making a donation at the website https://leagueofyes.org/.
