Bainbridge Island Little League has seen great support from the community recently and wants to thank all our neighbors, grandparents, teachers and friends who have contributed to our fundraising efforts by pledging and donating to our Bat-A-Thon.

All the life lessons Little League strives to teach our children are perhaps best exemplified through the generous embrace and support of our community.

Young Life is working with Bainbridge Island Little League this year to staff and manage the Rotary field snack shack. It has been a win-win situation for everyone involved. The kids earn money for camp and parents get to watch their kids’ games rather than work the snack shack. The two organizations share the profits.

This last week would have been disastrous without the generosity of two local businesses. On Monday we learned the refrigerator had failed overnight; Tuesday the BBQ grill died. These are two appliances that are absolutely essential to snack shack operations. The cost to replace them both would have significantly impacted the profitability of the endeavor.

Longtime supporters of BILL, Schmidt’s Appliance and Ace Hardware, stepped up to the plate and saved the season. When asked if they could help with a discount, Schmidt’s donated a refrigerator and Ace donated a grill.

Our sincere thanks go out to Mike and Joyce Anderson and Schmidt’s Appliance, and Steve and Becky Mikami and Ace Hardware. This type of support from our local small-business community is why we encourage everyone to shop local.

We’d also like to invite everyone to come out and watch a ball game at Strawberry or Rotary fields. Games start at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m., noon, 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Come out and enjoy a hot dog and good wholesome baseball in our wonderful community.

Chris King, BILL president

John Kaminski, chair,

Young Life Committee