Garfield Park Little League was established in 2008 because of the absence of organized youth baseball for over twenty years on Chicago’s west side. Our goals were to establish baseball as a viable sport and a teaching tool towards accountability, leadership skills and character building. GPLL is a chartered member of Little League International and in seven years has grown tremendously.
As a 501(c)(3), we rely on donations of time and money to help our program thrive. We are committed to providing an opportunity for all who have a desire to play baseball/softball regardless of skill, gender or financial circumstances. While anyone can give all throughout the year, we holding our 1st Annual Garfield Park Little League Fundraiser on October 3, 2015. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to go toward registration, season fees, equipment and insurance.
Our yearly goal is to provide activities that will keep us connected with our youth during the off season. Many activities are geared towards providing opportunities through athletic training, experiential education and motivation to empower youth to become positive contributors to society.
More than 500 boys and girls and over 60 volunteers make up the rapidly growing Garfield Park Little League (GPLL). Children from underprivileged neighborhoods and all over the city are drawn to our program because we pride ourselves in doing more than just baseball and softball at GPLL. We emphasize the importance of being vested in education and supporting the personal growth of our youth. Our ACT prep course 30 or Bust attempts to propel our high school students to success by positioning them for higher education. We have also implemented a program that we call Bases Loaded, which uses the sport of baseball as an incentive to increase reading and improve school attendance and grades. Through this coordination with the Teachers and Parents we have witnessed marked improvements for many of the Garfield Park student-athletes.
