13-Year-Old Hits Home Run for Dominican Children

At first glance, poverty stricken areas of the Dominican Republic don't have much in common with suburban Westchester County. But if you look close enough, you can find a connection through mutual love for the game of baseball.

For two years now, 13-year-old Stephen Brand of Purchase has been making the most of that connection, collecting gently used baseball equipment for kids living in the worst parts of the impoverished nation. Stephen joined a group of other young volunteers on a trip to the Dominican Republic last month to personally deliver the equipment to appreciative young ball players as part of the Homerun Hopefuls program.

“It made me feel really good to help the kids down in the Dominican Republic play baseball because many of them do not even have a bat or a glove,” said Stephen, who described the playing fields there as being very “rocky” with little grass.

Two years ago, Stephen was playing shortstop and second base for his baseball team in the Bronx when he began to hear stories about where his coaches grew up. The stark contrast of everyday life, including baseball for kids in the Dominican Republic, caught his attention.

Spurred on by tales of kids using sticks for bats and milk crates for gloves, Stephen wanted to see what he could do to help his peers thousands of miles away.

“When Stephen told me that he wanted to collect equipment for the Dominican Republic, I told him that I didn't know anyone there and to forget it!” joked Stephen's mother Deborah Brand. “He was very persistent and that's when we started doing research online and found the organization Homerun Hopefuls.” 

Homerun Hopefuls is a non-profit organization that does exactly what Stephen had hoped to do. The program helps children of the Dominican Republic enjoy the game of baseball in the same fashion many kids take for granted here in America.

The organization's founder, Brett Kalikow, happened to be an alum of Riverdale Country School, which Stephen currently attends. While on a trip to the Dominican Republic back in 2002, Kalikow could not believe his eyes as he observed such dire poverty.

“Kids of all ages who were unable to even afford shoes were using milk cartons as baseball mitts, rocks as balls and large sticks as bats,” recalls Kalikow.

He continues on how he got Homerun Hopefuls started, “since my baseball coach and many players on my summer team are Dominican, I felt a special connection to these children and upon returning to New York, I was determined to begin a drive to collect baseball equipment for the underprivileged youth of the Dominican Republic.” 

Since then, Homerun Hopefuls has conducted annual drives to collect baseball equipment and clothing, traveling to the Dominican Republic to personally distribute donations.

Collecting the equipment was challenging for Stephen. He worked all spring, holding equipment drives and sending out emails to various teams and organizations. Through the efforts of Stephen and the other volunteers, 74 boxes full of bats, gloves and more equipment were ready for delivery in July.

For Brand, the experience has left a lasting impression on him that he will remember for years to come.

“Next year we hope to raise a whole lot more by getting the Harrison Little League involved and hopefully spread the word about what we are trying to do,” said Brand. “The kids are much more active over there, playing baseball from after school until dark, so you can see how much they love the game.” 

For more information on Homerun Hopefuls and how you can donate gently used baseball equipment, visit them at homerunhopefuls.org.