There are 11 boys with 11 dreams to take on the world, and they’re asking for help to make it happen.
A team of young baseball players from Langley are trying to raise $30,000, so they can represent Canada at the 2018 Cal Ripken World Series in Florida this August.
The Langley Baseball Association’s little league (U12) all-star team have made it to the world championships – the fourth time in the Langley club’s 50-year history.
But, they need help getting there, according to the GoFundMe page that was set up Monday.
This journey to the world series will cost players and their families upwards of $5,000 per family, the team estimates.
They’ve set a goal to raise $30,000 through a number of fundraising efforts, including $10,000 they’re hoping to raise through GoFundMe. As of Wednesday morning that amount had already been surpassed with more than $11,000 received from 31 people in three days. Therefore, the goal was readjusted to $15,000.
The GoFundMe campaign was started “in hopes of taking the financial pressure off of the team and their families to help send them to the world series,” said organizer Leslie Teixeira. “Any donation will go a long way to making sure this experience becomes a reality for each of these boys.”
The team includes Nolan Bawtinheimer, Kian Eliades, Carter Teixeira, Ethan Johnson, Brendan Rohrer, Noah Laird, Mason Mandzuk, Kingston Sayers, Reign McKay, Dexter Beyers, and Tyler Trim, as well as coaches Phil Laird and Marty Beyers.
These boys have a busy summer ahead. It begins with a month of training in June where they’ll play exhibition games against teams throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
Then in July the first tournament is in Meridian, Idaho, followed by the world series tournament Aug. 6 to 13 in Treasure Coast, Fla.
Many of these boys have been playing since they were five, and “stoked for this once in a lifetime opportunity to represent Canada,” Teixeira said. “The world series will be livestreamed worldwide and will include the Babe Ruth Experience, customized Team Canada uniforms, an online personalized profile page, and media night for each of the players.”
“Watch for updates along the way as we approach our goal of world domination,” Teixeira joked.