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Mission-Driven

12

The number os Nicaraguans who have played major league

baseball. Currently, there are three active nicaraguan players,
Everth Cabrera, Devern Hansack, and Wilton Lpez.

Bats for a
Cause
Trinity Bat Company not
only provides bats for
the Anaheim Angels, the
Fullerton Company is helping
impoverished communities
play ball. By Elizabeth Lee
Fullerton-based Trinity Bat
Company is working to help baseball
enthusiasts who cant afford a bat of their
own - kids in Nicaragua using milk cartons for
gloves and pieces of old cardboard for bases to form fully equipped teams.
The company acts as an equipment collection site for the Nicaragua Baseball Project, a
nonprofit organization that provides baseball
gear to the underserved youth of Nicaragua.
Trinity collects both new and used bats for
the organization, then the Nicaragua Baseball
Project picks up, refurbishes and brings the
donations to Nicaragua for distribution.
The partnership started when Steve McKee,
President of Trinity Bats, was introduced to the
projects founder, John Paul Velasquez, then
an 8th grader at Calvary Christian School.
John-Paul founded the Nicaragua Baseball
Project after a trip to Nicaragua, his mothers
homeland. He came back with a desire to
provide donated gear to impoverished villages
where the lack of equipment keeps children
from playing the game safely or at all.
This is not the first time Trinity Bats has lent
a helping hand to the less fortunate. A few years
ago, one of Trinity Bats regulars, Cory Hahn,
was severely injured during the second day of
his college baseball career and left paralyzed
from the chest down. In response, Trinity Bats
launched an exclusive line of bats dedicated to
raising money for Hahn. The company also
started the Cory Hahn HomeRun Challenge, a
competitive event open to all levels of baseball
players, from those in high school to those in the
major leagues, with proceeds benefiting Hahn.
Just as Trinity Bats continues to support
Hahn in his journey to recovery, the company
does not foresee an end to their partnership
with John Paul. As McKee puts it, [our
partnership] will continue as long as JP needs
our help.

Guest of honor, Cory

Hahn, center, a former
Mater Dei High School
player, thanks the crowd
as professional players
stand behind him,
during the Home Run
Challenge. Hahn was
partially paralyzed from
a baseball injury while
playing for Arizona State.

Play ball! Baseball is the national game of

Nicaragua, and is one of the most popular
sports in the country.

22

OC Register METRO

December 2014

photos MARK RIGHTMIRE, MINDY SCHAUER, H. LORREN AU JR., / OC Register