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Volunteers needed for special needs baseball team in Houston
FOX 26's Natasha Geigel spoke with the organizer of the Alternative Baseball Organization to get a team started in Houston.
HOUSTON - When young special needs athletes transition to adulthood, they find unfortunately, that there aren’t many teams they can join to stay physically active and compete.
Alternative Baseball Organization has already filled that void for special needs adults across the nation and is calling for volunteers to start new teams here in Houston.
“Houston, Sugarland, we want to come for you next. So, we need the coach/manager to help us make something happen!” said 24-year-old Taylor Duncan, founder of Alternative Baseball Organization.
Duncan was diagnosed with autism when he was 4-years-old. He found that as he got older, there weren’t any baseball teams that suited his needs. So, he started his own team in the Atlanta area.
By 2018, he started expanding the organization. Now, he has teams in over 50 cities across the country.
“It’s inspired me to provide, the same opportunity that so many of us are denied, to participate in to others, just like myself, who just want the opportunity to be excited for who we are, and encouraged to be the best we can possibly be, and instill confidence need to fulfill our dreams in life on and off the baseball diamond,” said Duncan.
The leagues play by the same rules as Major League Baseball. All experience levels are welcome to anyone over the age of 15 with a disability. The organization is $10 for the first year, and they provide the equipment. They just need the coaches and volunteers to come forward.
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Duncan ready has several players in the Houston area interested in joining. Patricia Tate is a local mom, her son, Jared Atkins, is interested in the league. She tells FOX 26 that, “After high school and not having those available, it’s just really hard for him to get out there and be athletic, and do the things he loves to do.”
Atkins said that what he misses the most is you.
“Get to play other teams and get to show what you’ve got, and show, be able to like be out there and have fun.”
Duncan adds that, “And the bond is so strong I call it, I don’t just call it a league or a team. I call it an experience, because it’s an experience we all will remember for the rest of our lives as we formed these bonds with everybody on the field.”
Alternative Baseball operates on donations so you can head on over to their website for more information on how you can contribute, and also sign up to volunteer.