I have talked with many league presidents in District 13 over the years - and I feel that we all have a good understanding of the overall mission of Little League - To build strong contributing members of our communities through the games of baseball and softball.  We use youth sports as a vehicle to build our communities by positively investing in our youth.  I love this mission! I love knowing that as we give of our time and talents, we are providing positive experiences for the children of our community that have the potential to be life-changing.  

I appreciate that Little League, as an organization, is bigger than the games of baseball and softball.  As a volunteer, I know that I am much more inclined to pour my energies into an organization that shares my own values and mission as I try and give back to our communities.  With that being said - there are a variety of areas that I see Little League moving in directions that give me pause.  I see the organization re-structuring and adjusting to meet the demands they feel are being pressed upon them as a whole.  

As I ponder these things - I pause - and I think about whether my investment in the program will be impacted if the Little League Organization goes in a direction that I don't personally agree with.  And after much thought - I realized that at the core, Little League is and will always be about the kids.  and that is something that I can always get behind. I also recognize the value in knowing the direction that Little League is headed - so that we can each ensure that we are structuring and building our leagues in a way that honors the ultimate mission of Little League and the core values we hold as individual leagues.  

We have talked about the importance of building culture, branding, recognition, coach and player support, and always putting kids first.  I am looking forward to processing all the information I have taken in over the last few days to hopefully contribute to the building of District 13 and better support for each of our leagues.  

Thank you for all you have done over the years to provide these Little League experiences for the youth in your communities.  Truly, you are all making an investment into the lives of children that will last far beyond their time at the ball field.  
--