Youth Baseball In Need of a Ride
Posted on 24 February, 2013 by kcorona
2013 will be a year where an SBDA representative will be able to visit to work hands on with the Baseball Association of Serbia (BSS) and its development of youth programs. Nevertheless, the SBDA is hoping to help out financially with joining BSS and launching the $2 campaign. The goal is to purchase a newer used van to transport all youth teams in Serbia around the Balkans to tournaments, clinics, and games.
We are asking each person reading this to donate $2 or more if able, in order to reach our goal of $14,000 by this summer. In addition, we hope that each donor will send this link or a corresponding e-mail to a handful of friends and that they will do the same.
Donors’ names will be listed on the van as sponsors of Serbian youth baseball through the SBDA and BSS. We will be filming a documentary of this year’s events in order to better express the growth and progress of youth baseball in Serbia that is only possible through your donations.
Below is the $2 campaign letter written by the “School Baseball League” president, Nikola Vučević.
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Dear friends,
Four years ago we decided to purchase a used bus in order to lessen the costs of travel and to be able to attend tournaments at a moments notice. We bought the 1999 FORD TRANSIT from a friend who allowed us to pay him back over a three-year term.
The van purchase reduced our traveling costs by 60%, where earlier when we traveled renting a minibus for a 600 mile trip would cost us about $650, with the purchased van the cost fell to $230. With this savings we were able to have our kids play in a few tournaments in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia.
Our “Fordy”, from the time we purchased it, has passed 100,000 miles and we have traveled to Antwerp (BEL), Wels (AUT), Bagnaria Arsa (ITA), Kutno (POL), Ljubljana (SLO), Varaždin, Split, Zagreb, and Karlovac (CRO), Athens (GRE), Blagoevgrad (BUL), and many other places.
The van gets regular maintenance every 8,000 miles (oil changes, filters, and all else needed).
Unfortunately, our “Fordy” is currently in bad shape. We believe that this will be the last year that we will be able to drive this van before having to take it in to have a complete overhaul.
Our plan is to fix our old van but also to purchase another van in order to even further reduce our traveling costs. Don’t forget, we have very little sponsorship and the in these tough times the families of the children (players) are covering all the costs that our organization can’t cover for the time being.
For the sake of information, the children from Serbia will be going to tournaments in Prague (CZE), Bagnaria Arsa (ITA), Sofia (BUL), Kutno (POL), Athens (GRE), Varaždin (SLO), Ljubljana (SLO), and Parma (ITA) which will amount to about 900 miles (if we rent a bus the cost will be about $20,000 compared to as if we drive cars and a van, we would spend only $5,000).
We ask that you send this letter and our message to your friends so that we can achieve our goal of raising $14,000. Please donate* $2, or more if your are able, to help us reach this attainable goal!
*All donations are tax-deductible as the Serbian Baseball Development Association is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization
Yours truly,
Nikola Vučević
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