The youngest girls in the eXpress Softball Club in Ambler gathered on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to honor the memory of the great civic leader. The players on the 10u team decided to make memories while working on projects to help the homeless.
“We couldn’t think of a more special way to bond as a team than to do a service project together,” said Ann Pressman, assistant coach of eXpress 10u. “We are so proud of them for working so hard to make life just a little bit better for those less fortunate.”
“It was a day full of laughter and joy, and it was wonderful to witness the girls bonding,” said Head Coach Pete Naticchione.
The girls worked on three projects provided by Giving Tree Families, a local service organization. First, they created Kindness Cups. These were decorated with thoughtful, positive, and personalized messages and drawings, and filled with a granola bar, a pack of crackers, and a Fig Newton cookie pack. The cups benefit individuals in the homeless communities of Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia, as well as those experiencing food insecurity.
Next, the girls assembled sock rolls. This project entailed rolling a granola bar and a pack of crackers into a pair of athletic socks and securing each roll with a ribbon and including a note from the player. These will be distributed to individuals in the homeless community. The sock rolls are part of a larger Giving Tree Families effort. The sixth annual MLK Sock Roll Challenge currently has 12,281 sock rolls pledged from various schools, clubs, teams, and families!
Finally, the girls created encouragement cards which will be distributed to homeless individuals. “These cards are the most important part of the projects,” said the Giving Tree Families Outreach Coordinator Doris Fox. “Long after the food is gone, the recipients hang on to these cards and notes. It is a comfort to them to know that someone out there cares and is with them in thought.”
As winter workouts for eXpress Softball are underway, each player keeps the club motto in mind: Head. Heart. Hustle. The eXpress 10u team was all heart on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
The competitive softball club, based in Ambler, consists of four teams of girls ages nine to nineteen. It also offers training for young beginners, ages seven through ten. For sponsorship, tryout, or general information about eXpress Softball, see the club website.
