Thanks to the generous support of Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter program, West End Little League in Trenton, New Jersey, has received a $25,000 Sports Matter grant to support league operations and provide additional opportunities for area children.
“We are so grateful to our friends at Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation for providing West End Little League with this grant, which will support league operations and the overall experience for kids playing baseball and softball in our community,” said Liz DiLullo Brown, Little League’s executive vice president and chief marketing and business relations officer. “Through this financial support, and the grant presented at the Little League Softball World Series earlier this month, Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation continues to help us create even more opportunities for kids to fully participate in the Little League experience and further our commitment to communities around the world.”
A chartered Little League program since 1952, West End Little League provides Trenton-area kids with the opportunity to take to the field and learn life lessons through baseball and softball games. As Trenton’s only Little League Urban Initiative league, West End Little League has participated in multiple Little League Urban Initiative Baseball and Softball Jamborees over the years and has a total of 11 teams chartered for the 2024 season.
“We are proud to support West End Little League with this Sports Matter grant, an organization that fosters teamwork and resilience among young athletes in our area,” said Kristen Garmey, director of Sports Matter and Community Relations for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation. “We at the Dick’s Foundation believe that sports has the power to change lives and can be one of the most effective tools for youth development and supporting kids on and off the field.”
The award was presented on Monday, Aug. 19 as part of the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter program, which helps raise awareness of the importance of youth sports, and the 10th anniversary celebration of #SportsMatterMonday. Accepting the award on behalf of West End Little League was Ron Davis, president of West End Little League.
“I’m so excited for the kids in Trent City,” Davis said, “It means new uniforms and even more improvements to the playing field. It’s brought me to tears a little bit because we’re seeing such remarkable improvements in all areas with this grant. Trust me, the kids are really going to enjoy this.”
The $25,000 grant awarded to West End Little League is in addition to a $25,000 grant awarded to South Little League earlier this month at the 2024 Little League Softball® World Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, bringing grant funding to programs within the Little League Urban Initiative this summer to a total of $50,000.
In 2017, DICK’S Sporting Goods signed a five-year, $500,000 partnership agreement with Little League. Since becoming the official sporting goods retailer of Little League, the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation has provided grants to hundreds of leagues and supported programs since the Foundation’s inception 10 years ago.