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Elk Grove coach seeks used baseball donations for youth in need

By Raina LeGarreta - Lifestyle & Arts Editor

Published: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 11:46 AM PST

Youth sports coach Steve Abrams fondly recalled his early days as an athlete as a time when playing sports meant more to him than competition.

From youth softball to high school varsity football, the Elk Grove native has coached a variety of teams since the early-1980s; most recently the Cosumnes Oaks Jr. Wolfpack Football team.

Abrams joined various sports teams as a child himself, including playing football in college, and recalls joining them simply for the love of sports; a belief that he’s instilled in his own children.

Yet in recent years, the coach noticed that many children in sports spent most of their time practicing for a competition or competing in one with little-to-no time to spend with their family and friends.

With his nonprofit, Handing Out Hope, the coach preserves the idea that children should be involved in sports simply because they want to, rather than being forced to, while still allowing themselves time to enjoy their lives outside of the sports realm.

For the past six years, Abrams has gathered used baseball equipment donated by local businesses and individuals in the community for youth in need.

Through partnering with the Baseball without Borders Foundation, Pitch in for Baseball, and Roberto’s Kids foundations the coach has sent nearly 5,000 pieces of gear to children around the world.

“One of the reasons I started the foundation was to give back to kids who really appreciate what it’s all about: enjoying sports. But it’s also about the meaning and philosophy behind it all,” Abrams said.

“When I appeal to people in the 40 to 55-year-old range who’ve had children in sports, they can see a big difference in how youth sports is today,” he said. “Many of today’s kids are playing sports year-round; they’re out there all day, even on all the holidays. All of a sudden you look back and realize that you’ve lost all your weekends. Kids need opportunities to do things like go camping with their families, etc.”

Though Abrams realizes that his philosophy isn’t always popular with today’s parent, he stays true to his beliefs.

He and his two sons recently returned from a trip to Nicaragua where they distributed 600 pounds of baseball equipment to athletes in need.

In his travels, the coach saw the disposition of youth who simply wanted to play their favorite sport with comfortable equipment, whether new or old; a nature he remembers from his own youth.

“I wanted my boys to see what poverty there is like, and how blessed we are to have good fields and equipment here. So many kids take that for granted,” Abrams said. “When I was a kid I played with the same glove for seven years; some kids these days change gloves every year. I didn’t have to have a $300 dollar aluminum baseball or anything like that. It was just about enjoying the game.”

Abrams noted that once teens go off to college, their moderately used, typically expensive, sports equipment is often thrown away.

Handing Out Hope collects the community’s gently used baseball cleats, bats, catcher’s mitts, helmets, and more before they’re tossed away as junk.

“I know I could probably build a warehouse with all of the equipment people are collecting in their closets and garages,” Abrams said. “We’ll take what you’ve got.”

 

 

www.egcitizen.com/articles/2014/04/11/sports/doc5348233197bb0689912772.txt

                           

 

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