Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Jr Giants + Live / Work Like It Is Your Last Day

Jr Giants

So I heard a rumor, well I should say I heard talk. This is something I addressed last year and may continue to address until folks understand my thinking. So to put any and all involved at ease in the organizations I'm going to mention.......please read.

Jr Giants is not Little League. Little League is Little League. 

Jr Giants could not and should not replace Little League. Little League and Hollister Heat are two of the most important youth sports programs in Hollister. These leagues teach sportsmanship, skills and provide for great youth competition in our community. I simply love both of these great programs. I have had the honor of participating in both of their opening ceremonies in the past. I value these programs both as a community leader and a parent in our community.

Jr Giants was brought here by San Benito County PAL. I am the Vice President of SBC PAL. I had some previous experience with Jr Giants in two agencies I had previously worked at. I thought Jr Giants was and is a great fit for our county. I still do. So last year, I suggested to the PAL board and the City of Hollister that we try to bring the program here. They listened and we did it. The City of Hollister also agreed that they would assist in running the program, countywide. That means any child in the county.

Lets face it, we have a lot of poverty or near poverty families in our community. We also have a lot of working parents that are trying to make ends meet and sometimes just don't have the extra funds to pay for sports / activities for their children. It is a barrier for those kids. I want to eliminate that barrier if possible for some of our communities kids.

Because every child should get the chance to try something that they may fall in love with. That thing could inspire them to try other things positive and then we just might have the next great leader in our community. The goal here; is to grow the next great generation of people.

Taken from the Jr Giants website:
"Junior Giants, the flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, is a free, non-competitive and innovative baseball program for boys and girls ages 5-18 years old.

In 1994, the Fund sought a program that would give at-risk kids a meaningful partnership with community-based organizations and provide an alternative to drugs, gangs and crime. The Junior Giants program now reaches over 22,000 children in 90 leagues across California and into Nevada and Oregon. The Community Fund provides all of the uniforms, equipment, and training necessary to run a league as well as tickets to select Giants games so the youth can experience a Major League Baseball game.

But more important than the fundamentals of baseball, Junior Giants focuses on the four bases of character development - Confidence, Integrity, Leadership and Teamwork - and offers programs in Education, Health and Violence Prevention. This framework is integrated into the Junior Giants handbook distributed to all of the kids and parents.

This program, presented by Bank of America, welcomes kids from all backgrounds and encourages them to live healthy and productive lives by getting outside and playing baseball!"

WHAT MAKES JUNIOR GIANTS BASEBALL UNIQUE?

  • It's a free program!
  • The league is non-competitive
  • It's a program for girls and boys
  • Higher value placed on character than on wins and losses
  • Programs in education, health, and violence prevention
  • Pitching machines are used
  • Professional training by the Giants is provided to the coaches
So as you can see, Jr Giants is not Little League or Hollister Heat and never will be. In fact our season starts AFTER both Little League and Hollister Heat seasons end. So please, if you're a baseball or softball person and you want to help me, help our kids, call 636-4390 and ask for Tina Garza or the Jr Giants Ambassador and tell them you want to help.

Thanks in advance.

Opening Day for Jr Giants is June 25th at Dunne Park in the AM.

______________________________________________________________

Nothing lasts forever

It is an important concept. It's one that I think about a little more now, than before but something I have thought about for many years. 

I will not be the Chief of Police forever. I will be replaced, because I am replaceable. My job is to train my replacement and make sure my staff is training their replacements. 

You should always work and live like it is your last day. 
  • Take chances
  • Always do what you say you're going to do
  •  Do not be afraid to fail, many times. A lot of lessons in failure.
  • Always say please and thank you
  • Recognize great people and great employees, often
  • Take care of yourself, physically and mentally. Ask yourself if your ok.
  • Take naps to remain focused
  • Be kind to people and animals
  • Eat good food when you're hungry, don't eat junk.
  • Keep taking chances
Anyway, until next time......be good to each other,

Chief

No comments:

Post a Comment