September 26, 2013 - MMI and UTI Orlando Students Pitch in to Help Pine Castle Little League

Located in a low-income area, Orlando’s Pine Castle Little League has been in the community for more than 50 years and an average of 175 kids, ages 4 to 17, play each season. However, its baseball field is in poor condition and most of its equipment is more than three decades old. Many of the players are in need of adequate bats, helmets, mitts and catching gear.

When MMI-Orlando student Chuck Crowe learned about this local need, he decided that students would “go to bat” for the Little Leaguers to collect money for equipment. With the help of Student Council and Student Services, Crowe spearheaded a campus-wide UTI-Orlando baseball tournament to raise money for the cause.

Volunteers organized five teams with 54 student players to participate in a baseball tournament at Pine Castle Little League’s field. More than $550 was raised for the cause.

“We had donation boxes all around campus and at the game to support the Little League − so it was a collective team effort by our school,” said Ashley Szymanski, senior student affairs advisor at UTI-Orlando. “Both MMI and UTI teams played against each other for bragging rights, and everyone had a blast.”

One of the participants was MMI-Marine student Van Delashmutt, who serves as safety director for Pine Castle Little League and whose 8-year-old son, Hunter, plays on the league.

“Our kids have so much heart when they play and we want them to be proud of where they come from,” said Melenie Coleman, vice president of Pine Castle Little League. “Our policy is that regardless of the ability to pay, everyone can play. We thank MMI and UTI for their support because it means the world to our kids.”

The winning team consisted of mostly MMI-Marine students, who were coached by UTI auto instructor Karl Boehm. The real winners, though, were the kids in Pine Castle Little League.

The team is always in need of donations and hopes to fix two of its field restrooms, which are currently inoperable. To learn more, contact Melenie Coleman at vnmdelashmutt@gmail.com or call (407) 435-5091.