Buddy Baseball’s return a boon for special-needs sports
Designed to instill a feeling of accomplishment, the Buddy Baseball program puts the kids in the batter’s box until they get on base.
By JERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFFAFTER ITS successful debut in Israel last year, the Jerusalem Buddy Baseball program is thriving in its second season and will be holding its All-Star Game next month at Kraft Stadium(photo credit: FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE/COURTESY)
Friendship Circle Central Jerusalem, together with Kraft Stadium and the Feuerstein Institute, will host its annual Buddy Baseball All-Star Game for children with special needs in Israel on June 11th at Kraft Stadium, with several dignitaries expected to be in attendance.A non-competitive, friendship- building baseball league, Buddy Baseball, founded by Dean Klassman of Chicago, provides an opportunity to build self-esteem and create warm, lasting memories on the baseball field. The second season in Israel has been running since the beginning of the spring with weekly games.Friendship Circle Central Jerusalem is a one-stop portal into the world of children with special needs, partnering special needs players with buddy volunteers – granting children, who may never have played sports with a friend, the chance to experience teamwork, camaraderie and the magic of excelling at a sport.Designed to instill a feeling of accomplishment, the Buddy Baseball program puts the kids in the batter’s box until they get on base.Mayor Nir Barkat describes Jerusalem as a special and inclusive city, and Jerusalemites as unique, extraordinary people who band together and become one. Friendship Circle enables just that through this event and many others throughout the year – cheering Jerusalem’s special children on.For more information, please visit www.fcjerusalem.org
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