Diamondbacks Foundation donates to GRIC Little League

May 20, 2016

Thomas R. Throssell

Gila River Indian News

Before an audience of over 30,000 baseball fans at Chase Field, May 14, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation in partnership with Gila River Casinos presented the Gila River Indian Community with a check for $20,000 in support of the Community’s baseball and softball programs. The donation was accepted on field by Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, Lt. Gov. Monica Antone, members of Tribal Recreation and coaches from the Community’s Little League program.

The donation will help local baseball and t-ball teams purchase the necessities needed to play ball.

“It’s a great help,” said Alvin Casoose, Acting Tribal Recreation Manager. “It alleviates a lot of pressure off the recreation program. We have multiple teams in our t-ball and in our Little League.”

“Equipment is very expensive,” he said.

“This helps us out a great deal. It reduces the stress on the coaches of having to find equipment [and] it helps a lot of kids in the Community,” Casoose said.

The donated funds will not only go to supplying young players with gloves, bats and uniforms, it will also aid in field repairs and maintenance.

According to an Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation statement: “Little League baseball and softball participation has been growing thanks to the efforts of the Gila River Indian Community and the volunteer coaches that help make the experience a positive one. The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation is proud to support baseball and softball - which has a very long and treasured history for the Gila River Indian Community.”

Now that the temperature is heating up and Community youth have taken to baseball diamonds all around GRIC for Tribal Recreation’s annual Summer League, it is an opportune time to head out to a ball field to see a game or two.

The Summer League has already begun, with Little League games on Monday nights and t-ball games on Wednesdays, with most games played in District 4.

For more information about the Summer League or for Little League or t-ball game times, call Tribal Recreation at 520-562-6087.