August 26, 2004: Headlines: COS - Dominican Republic: Sports: Baseball: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel : Peace Corps Volunteer Colleen Birner's idea was to collect used baseball equipment and distribute it to the impoverished kids in the Dominican Republic, where baseball is such a passion and serves as a healthy diversion from the seedier side of life

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Dominican Republic: Peace Corps Dominican Republic : The Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic: August 26, 2004: Headlines: COS - Dominican Republic: Sports: Baseball: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel : Peace Corps Volunteer Colleen Birner's idea was to collect used baseball equipment and distribute it to the impoverished kids in the Dominican Republic, where baseball is such a passion and serves as a healthy diversion from the seedier side of life

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-239-147.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.239.147) on Monday, August 30, 2004 - 9:27 pm: Edit Post

Peace Corps Volunteer Colleen Birner's idea was to collect used baseball equipment and distribute it to the impoverished kids in the Dominican Republic, where baseball is such a passion and serves as a healthy diversion from the seedier side of life

Peace Corps Volunteer Colleen Birner's idea was to collect used baseball equipment and distribute it to the impoverished kids in the Dominican Republic, where baseball is such a passion and serves as a healthy diversion from the seedier side of life

Peace Corps Volunteer Colleen Birner's idea was to collect used baseball equipment and distribute it to the impoverished kids in the Dominican Republic, where baseball is such a passion and serves as a healthy diversion from the seedier side of life

Baseball donations better than a victory
Posted: Aug. 26, 2004
County Lines


Laurel Walker
E-MAIL | ARCHIVE



We may be approaching the ninth inning of baseball season, and none too soon at that for the basement Brewers.

But in remote mountain villages of the Dominican Republic, young players are probably as high-spirited as World Series hopefuls on the first day of spring training.

In January, I wrote about Brookfield residents Dot and Len Birner.

They were looking for a little help on a project inspired by the Peace Corps mission of their daughter, Colleen Birner, and her husband, Evan Fitzgerald.

The idea was to collect used baseball equipment and distribute it to the impoverished kids in the Dominican Republic, where baseball is such a passion and serves as a healthy diversion from the seedier side of life.

Even used equipment would be better than what they had - sticks for bats, stones for balls, cardboard mitts and feet without shoes, let alone baseball spikes.

Her parents put out the call for contributions.

Boy, did they get an answer.
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Dot Birner's first worry was how the couple would ever afford to ship the sizable stash of goods in their garage already donated by school and community groups. By April, she reported that a patron had come forward with an offer to ship the donations, provided the organizers filled a 40-foot shipping container.

So they had even more work to do, more space to fill.

The list of donors grew. Along the way, Dot Birner reported contributions from recreation departments, school districts, individual schools, private corporations, Little Leagues, an organization of returned Peace Corps volunteers based in Madison, YMCAs, churches, private individuals, a Waukesha warehouse owner who offered to store the growing collection, sporting goods dealers and a university athletic department.

The shipment went out at the end of May, but it wasn't exactly quick sailing. It went by truck to Chicago, rail to New York and ship to western Mexico, unloaded and reloaded, through the Panama Canal and on to Santo Domingo. It included 128 boxes or bags of sports equipment, mostly baseball; 37 boxes of Spanish books; 45 computers with keyboards, monitors, mice and some printers; 22 computer desks; 17 desk chairs; eight bookcases; a TV/VCR/DVD player; and 22 elementary school desks.

"I've gotten e-mails from other Peace Corps workers," Dot Birner said last week, "and they're overwhelmed with what was sent to them. Thrilled!"

Colleen Birner and Evan Fitzgerald returned to Vermont last week, where she will teach again and he will pursue graduate studies.

The final chapter to the Dominican Republic story arrived recently in a letter from Colleen Birner.

She wrote, "How do I communicate the joy and thanks of all the families in Rio Limpio and its surrounding mountain communities?"

Using entries from her journal with impressions of that day in mid-July, when the supplies were received, she did a pretty good job.

Some excerpts:

"After seeing us unload the seemingly endless mountain of boxes off the truck last night, almost every kid in town was waiting outside (the house) at 6:30 a.m. this morning for us to start giving things away. . . . They watched from the windows as every box was opened and its contents discovered.

"The pile of gloves became two, the baseballs overflowed and tumbled out of their box. We stuffed nine bat bags with bats. The occasional shriek of joy slipped out when another pair of shoes was tossed across the room to the pile (normally, the kids play barefoot).

"Immediately the Frisbee glided through the air and the basketballs were tested for bounce. And then there were the uniforms! Pick your color, your team, your size. We started to organize by size but then switched to color and then just started piling them all on top of each other because we had filled the room!

"When I looked up from my organizing, I glimpsed high-fives smacking over a box filled with bases. I overheard kids talking about giving extra uniforms to teams in the surrounding communities so they could have a true league. . . . Uniforms tucked under arms, the kids went flying home to change.

"As I headed toward the field, the future Medias Rojas (Red Sox) zoomed past me to warm up, one of them told me.

"To feel the joy of these kids, and to know their lives could be changed forever because of thoughtful and generous people - giving them just a little more hope - leaves me with the inspiration that by working together in this ever more connected, challenging and beautiful world, we may reach some kind of peace, especially if we start with children."

"Muchisimas gracias," she concluded.

Indeed.


From the Aug. 29, 2004, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When this story was prepared, here was the front page of PCOL magazine:

This Month's Issue: August 2004 This Month's Issue: August 2004
Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and who can come up with the funniest caption for our Current Events Funny?

Exclusive: Director Vasquez speaks out in an op-ed published exclusively on the web by Peace Corps Online saying the Dayton Daily News' portrayal of Peace Corps "doesn't jibe with facts."

In other news, the NPCA makes the case for improving governance and explains the challenges facing the organization, RPCV Bob Shaconis says Peace Corps has been a "sacred cow", RPCV Shaun McNally picks up support for his Aug 10 primary and has a plan to win in Connecticut, and the movie "Open Water" based on the negligent deaths of two RPCVs in Australia opens August 6. Op-ed's by RPCVs: Cops of the World is not a good goal and Peace Corps must emphasize community development.


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Story Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Dominican Republic; Sports; Baseball

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