A local youth baseball team called the Aces dedicated their season to benefit a nonprofit organization that assists children who have experienced traumatic brain injuries.
The head coach of the 9U tournament team, Ryan Phillips, said that in a season under pandemic restrictions, the kids, ages 8 and 9, didn’t have a lot of things to connect to.
“We wanted the boys to have something additional to be a part of,” he said. “We wanted the boys to start thinking outside themselves.”
The team was inspired by Luke Siegel, who in 2015 at age 9, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a golf cart accident. Since then, Team Luke Hope for Minds has raised over $800,000 to families in need in 30 states, including Washington.
The Aces are working towards raising $30,000 for Team Luke Hope for Minds by July 17th, when Luke and his father, Tim Siegel, will visit Vancouver and Ridgefield to accept the donation at a Ridgefield Raptors baseball game.
The kids have been knocking on doors and washing cars to raise money. So far, they’ve raised roughly $10,000, said Phillips. They also plan to host a fundraiser Hit-a-Thon before the July 17th Raptors game. It’s similar to a home-run derby, but $100 gets a kid ten swings to hit a pitch to specific spots in the baseball field for points. They plan on getting 80 to 100 kids to join, Phillips said.
Phillips said that having a fundraising purpose for Team Luke Hope for Minds has given the kids perspective.
“They’re lucky to have what they have,” Phillips said.
Nolan Brantley, a player on the Aces, said that “Team Luke has helped teach me that this season is more than just baseball, and it’s important to help others who need it.”
Player Ike Phillips, Ryan Phillips’ son, said, “Helping Team Luke makes me feel good because we are helping kids who need help getting better from brain injuries. And it helps us be grateful for the things we do, like play baseball.”
This article was updated to accurately reflect the amount of money raised by Team Luke Hope for Minds.
