Anything for the Kids

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In Challenger games, no score is kept, and each player both bats every inning and plays in the field for the entire game. The 5-18 year-old players each have a Buddy who ensures their safety and success throughout the entire game.

The Evans family has had the privilege of working with Challenger Baseball for 6 years. When asked what he finds most rewarding about the program, Greg says, “There is a smile on everyone’s face. As soon as you see the kids, it doesn’t matter how run-down you are after work. They are energetic, authentic and caring. It changes the whole world for them.”

The story of how the Evans family got started with Challenger Baseball is true to the close-knit community that Green Valley calls home. Becky Martin—one of the four chief players of the team managing Bridgewater’s Challenger program—recalls this story as one of her favorite Challenger memories. Becky was in the post office one day, and she was chatting with Elizabeth about life’s twists and turns at the time. She mentioned to Elizabeth that the program needed four more Buddies to accommodate all their players, and that evening Elizabeth, Greg, and their two eligible sons became Buddies to fill the void.

Since that day, the Evans have served a feast to the families of Challenger, hosted ice cream socials for uniform hand-outs, and been Buddies for 6 years and counting. “Instead of ‘Anything for the Game,’ I like to think of it as ‘Anything for the Kids.’ It truly is reviving for everyone,” says Elizabeth.

The impact that Buddies have on the players is everlasting. Jill Hoover, the mother of Greg’s player Ben, says, “It means the world that our child has a place that he fits-in and feels comfortable. I feel blessed by the relationship that Greg and Ben have built. It will be a relationship that Ben and our family will never forget and always appreciate.”

Bridgewater’s Challenger program proudly supports between 40 and 50 players. “It requires patience and endurance to keep everything organized, but it’s such a blessing. For us, it’s a part of life and a part of the community,” Becky says as she reflects on the love and effort that she and her husband Jack put into the program alongside their friends and co-founders Philip and Sue Hutchinson.

“It’s an opportunity to watch the kids grow over the years,” says Sue Hutchison, “they get to feel part of the team and be together with friends.” She also loves to see how the relationships between players and Buddies grow over the years and reach beyond the ball field—branching to other involvement, care, and support for the kids.

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