TEAM CANADA and TEAM UGANDA BASEBALL CHALLENGE
TEAM CANADA and TEAM UGANDA BASEBALL CHALLENGE JANUARY 2012
CALL FOR DONATIONS
PLEASE READ!!
Dear Dunbar Little League Families,
My family has a personal connection to Uganda.
My 16 year old daughter, Mercedes, volunteers for an Ugandan charity that assists children orphaned by AIDS; the assistance is sponsorship of children to complete their primary and secondary education instead of working from the age of 6, as most do in Uganda. Mercedes travelled to Uganda last December and January and she will be in Uganda again this December.
Many of you may not be familiar with Uganda and Canada in the Little League World Series. Canada was represented by Langley Little League in the World Series in August. The Langley team did fabulously well, defeating one the giants of the Little League World Series Chinese Taipei (a.k.a., Taiwan) during the round robin portion of the tournament.
What many do not know is that Langley was to play its opening game at the Little League World Series against Uganda, the champions of Africa and the Middle East. Uganda was the first Africa nation ever to qualify for the Little League World Series; a remarkable achievement in light of the USA expatriate dominated teams from the Middle East.
Ugandan players, unfortunately, were not granted visas to travel to the USA. The result was that the team Uganda defeated from Saudi Arabia, ended up participating in the Little League World Series in their place.
Many followers of Little League baseball (including my 12 year old, Sandy) believe that the Uganda players were deserving of a better fate than to be denied a USA visa to play in Williamsport, baseball’s grandest stage, at the 11th hour.
Langley Little League is determined to play Uganda in that first 2011 Little League World Series game.
Langley Little League, through the organization “Right to Play”, is
(1) raising funds to travel to Uganda in January and to support he Uganda Little League generally; and
(2) collecting baseball equipment which KLM Airlines has kindly agreed to transport to Uganda at nominal cost.
DONATIONS
I ask that you donate to support Langley players’ travel to Uganda and Uganda Little League baseball, in whatever amount you feel is appropriate, at the Right to Play web site.
http://righttoplay.akaraisin.com/common/Event/ContactUs.aspx?seid=4630&mid=57.
If you donate, please do email me a quick note. And please do look at the Right to Play website at the various articles and videos on Langley Little League’s efforts.
CORPORATE SUPPORT
If you wish to support the Langley initiative corporately, a local organizer, Ruth Hoffman, has created a sponsorship package. Ruth can be contacted at ruthhoffman4400@gmail.com and I encourage you to email her directly in this regard. Sponsors to date include the Vancouver Canadians and Oakland Athletics who have kindly provided donations.
Please do take a moment to read this email, check out the Right to Play website (above) and some of the media links.
EQUIPMENT
Any and all unused baseball equipment that is likely cluttering up your garage, attic and basement, will be gratefully received by me on behalf of the Langley team. Just collect what you have and drop it off in my porch at 3880 W. King Edward Ave, the third house up from Chaldecott Park’s water park (and please leave not with your name, so I know who you are!).
Thank you for reading this lengthy e-mail.
We hope we can count on your support.
Kind regards,
Tony Fogarassy
dunbarlc@shaw.ca
+1.604.808.8210
Sandy Fogarassy & Mercedes Fogarassy
Blair Lockhart & Tony Fogarassy
Parents with Regent Heating in Majors
And formerly of:
G.H. Street Construction in Minor A
Trasolini Chetner Construction in Minor B
Heath Benefits in Minor B
St. Philip’s Church in Tee ball
Waldo’s Printing in Blast ball