Why "Play it Forward"?

Over the course of the Andrew’s baseball career he had the opportunity to play with and against some amazing athletes.  Most of these athletes, much like Andrew, had the benefit of some of the best equipment and training.  It was not uncommon for Andrew to receive the latest bat or glove for Christmas or birthday.  And over the course of many years, he amassed a sizable amount of quality, gently-used equipment that collected dust in the corners of his bedroom.

During Andrew’s 8th grade year, he had the opportunity to play on the Triad Middle School baseball team.  One of the games was against an underserved school and the players had to share worn and outdated equipment - gloves, helmets, bats.  And instead of baseball cleats, they wore their casual tennis shoes.  The game was a little bit lopsided in Triad’s favor and yet the gentlemen on the opposing team seemed to truly enjoy the game and showed great sportsmanship. With marked sadness in his voice, after the game Andrew commented “Mom and Dad, did you see their equipment and how they had to share everything they had?” 

While Andrew was always very thankful for what he had, the event left a lasting impression on Andrew.  The “Play it Forward – Andrew Range Foundation” spoke to us as an opportunity to continue Andrew’s positive influence with a goal to support children in our underserved St. Louis neighborhoods in ALL SPORTS, not just baseball. For more information, please contact info@andrewrangefoundation.com.

Thank you for letting us share Andrew’s story.

~BATTC - Bob, Andrew, Taylor, Traci and Corey