Evening at the Ballpark highlights youth and baseball at JetBlue Park

An Evening at the Ballpark at JetBlue Park recently focused on youth, baseball and the future.

The annual event, hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County at the Red Sox Spring Training site, included recognition of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County’s 2024 Youth of the Year, Kaliyah Stephens, an eighth grader at Crestwell School.

“Seeing what the clubs and what the Boys & Girls Club is all about, but with the background of baseball. Baseball tonight should be secondary. We’re at this beautiful ballpark, but it’s all about the club right now,” Brennan Whitley, the Boston Red Sox’s director of Florida events and operations, said.

Baseball fans were welcomed with food and drink as well as plenty of activities to enjoy including VR baseball and photo opportunities with two of the Boston Red Sox World Series trophies.

During a dinner for fans on the field, Boston catcher Connor Wong, pitcher Brennan Bernardino and left fielder Tyler O’Neill signed autographs and Bernardino shared his thoughts on what he hopes the impact will be on people at the event.

“I hope they understand how important this is to the children. Children, they can only do so much for themselves and we’re the ones that are showing them the way and leading them the way,” he said. “Everyone here is working out of love, right? And I think they can learn a lot from that. That kids are looking up and seeing their elders here to help them.”

The Red Sox also held a panel discussion with Wong, Bernardino and O’Neill, which was moderated by NESN broadcaster Tom Caron.

The players shared their thoughts on MLB’s new rules, specifically the pitch clock, technology in the game, what they did during the offseason, the Florida weather during spring training and the team’s expectations for the upcoming season.

The focus of the event then shifted as Denise Gergley, Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County, took the stage and spoke about the importance of investing in the youth of Lee County. Youth of the Year honoree Stephens was recognized and she joined the stage to talk about her journey.

Gergley noted that the organization will be renovating the club’s Park Meadows location and shared some of the renderings for the renovation and new additions.

“We have this beautiful building on two acres of land. And we’re going to turn it into a state-of-the-art Boys & Girls Club for all of the kids in Lee County,” Gergley said. “It’s going to come with a technology center, homework spaces, health and wellness room and an art center. And we’re actually building an extension onto the building for our teens so they actually have their own place to go, where they can do life together and spend time with their peers. And we can also work with them on developing their plan for the future, which is really important.”

The Park Meadows club will also be adding a basketball pavilion, sports fields and playgrounds during the renovations.

At the end of the presentation, Gergley asked for 50 children of low income families to be sponsored for an eight-week summer program for $500 per child. The club received at least 51 spots sponsored for the youth in the county this summer.

“It’s amazing to see the community come around the Boys & Girls Club and support our kids. I truly believe the work we’re doing is really meaningful and our kids are truly amazing, they just need a little extra guidance and support and we’re here to give that to them,” Gergley said. “So the fact that the community really went out of their way to show their support for what we do is an amazing feeling.”

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