We have made it home safely from the trip to Williamsport - and have had some time to rest and recover from the busy week at Congress. I enjoyed sharing some of the information gained with all of you - and I hope that in the years to come, we can all work together to develop our leagues and our District. It is true that District 13 has incredible potential. We have all had to navigate having the Spokane Indians operating in our communities - but I truly believe that the Little League Program is far superior to what the Indians have to offer. Anything that is driven by the power of volunteers and love for the community has unlimited potential. We have already seen players choosing to return to their local little league programs, as they are recognizing the value of the Little League program. I know that we all are fully invested and pretty busy with the day-to-day operations of our own league. For me, it often feels like a full-time job! But after this week at Congress, my mindset has grown. I have realized that by deliberately taking time to think bigger picture, we have the potential to improve our leagues and create less work for ourselves in the long run. Investing time and energy in developing a vision that will help our leagues run more efficiently. Investing in recognition and community involvement creates a positive image of our leagues in our communities. Developing our leagues in such a way that amazing volunteers and businesses find us and want to be a part of the programs we have created. And if we can put our brains together at the district level, that organization and efficiency will benefit all of our leagues as well. Little League is about growing people - at all levels of the organization. It is about teaching kids valuable life skills through the games of baseball and softball. It is about investing in the youth of today with the hopes of building a better tomorrow! And when we begin to implement our programs with this in mind, I believe that amazing things will happen. I am looking forward to investing more of my time at the district level - with the goal of helping all of our leagues grow and improve. I hope that you will join me! Thank you all! Stacy Ashcroft ADA Disrict 13 West Plains Little League President president@westplainslittleleague.com 509-294-5341