News

Hastings Community Little League Receives $150,000 Grant from Jays Care Foundation

Hastings Community Little League

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Vancouver, BC

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Hastings Community Little League Receives $150,000 Grant from Jays Care Foundation

Hastings Community Little League (HCLL) is pleased to announce that the Toronto Blue Jays, through Jays Care Foundation, have made a $150,000 commitment towards the rebuilding of two baseball diamonds at Hastings Community Park Field. This grant is made through the Jays Care Field of Dreams program, which invests in the creation of safe youth spaces, including baseball fields, across Canada so that all kids can reach their full potential. These funds will play a significant role in providing much-needed improvements to the baseball diamonds at Hastings Community Park, including backstop replacements, diamond reconfiguration, soil and sod replacement, and drainage and sprinkler installation. This renovation will allow HCLL to expand its programming by 72 players while creating additional field times for all players and increasing the size of the main diamond.

Preparation and plans for the field upgrade are well underway with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. All work is scheduled to be completed by 2015.

Hastings Community Little League would like to express its sincere gratitude and thanks to Jays Care Foundation and the Toronto Blue Jays for this Field of Dreams grant, which will provide a safe environment for many future generations of Little League baseball players from East Vancouver and North Burnaby. These upgrades will also allow HCLL to continue with its plans to host the 2016 Canadian Little League Championship tournament at Hastings Park for 11 and 12 year old players from across Canada.

About Hastings Community Little League

Hastings Community Little League has operated since 1953 providing volunteer driven baseball programs each year for 400 boys and girls aged 5 to 12 at Hastings Park. Operating under the umbrella of Little League International, HCLL holds the Little League charter for the geographic area that covers parts of East Vancouver and North Burnaby. HCLL is a member of BC Little League District 6 and includes five age divisions with forty teams for regular season league play, and three All-Star teams that compete for various championship levels at a district, provincial, national and international level. Hastings Community Little League won the Canadian Little League Championship in both 2009 and 2012, and represented Canada in both years at the Little League World Series in Williamsport Pennsylvania. Additional information about Hastings Community Little League can be found at www.hcll.ca.

About Jays Care Foundation

The Toronto Blue Jays, 2012 recipient of the MLB Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence, believe every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential, regardless of the challenges they face. Jays Care Foundation, the charitable arm of the Blue Jays, sets kids on a lifelong track to success by investing in charitable, community and baseball programs and facilities that focus on helping kids in need get active, excel academically and lead healthy lives. To date, Jays Care has invested more than $7.5 million in Canada’s children and communities.

For more information, visit www.bluejays.com/jayscare, follow @JaysCare on Twitter, ‘like’ Jays Care on Facebook,