THUNDER BAY – There are towns in Nicaragua where 10 children might share one baseball glove.
The situation isn’t much better in Cuba.
Anneli Tolvanen decided to do something about it.
A volunteer translator at the Under 18 Baseball World Cup Cup, Tolvanen started a grassroots campaign and is asking the people of Thunder Bay – and in particular those attending the tournament, to collect up any unused gloves and drop them off at either Port Arthur Stadium or Baseball Central.
“This is a championship that is drawing out a lot of people. There are a lot of teams coming from all around the world and many of them are coming from countries that are materially not as fortunate as we care,” Tolvanen said.
“It seemed there was the perfect recipe to be able to do something.”
Tolvanen said many of the fans attending the game likely have old gloves tucked away in their garages, basements or attics.
“There’s no better opportunity now than to dig them out and put them in the hands of people who can use them. And we don’t have to pay for transport. We just have to get them to the teams and they can tuck the baseball gloves into their suitcase.”
Anyone with an extra glove is asked to drop it off in blue bins at entrances at either stadium, at the Airlane Hotel or at Bay Village Café.
