There’s a new tradition in Bellevue: turning kids into baseball players and high school players into teachers.
Video: Buddy Baseball brings together kids with Down Syndrome, metro baseball players
Bellevue baseball boosters teamed up with the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands to help kids become baseball stars for a day. Dozens of kids got the chance to take the field, pairing up with a varsity baseball player to learn skills and tricks of the game. The event is referred to as Buddy Baseball.
Logan Cunningham, a volunteer, said he loves the event and is the first person to sign up. Players from rival schools, Bellevue East and Bellevue West, teamed up for the event, bending the rules to accommodate for the kids’ energy.
For the children in attendance, it’s a dream come true, a day to be in the spotlight. However, the high school players said the event might be even more fulfilling for them.
“My favorite part honestly is just looking at these guys and when they round the bases and they get to step on home plate, the smile on their face is pretty awesome,” Cunningham said.
This is the second year of Buddy Baseball, but it’s already growing. The Omaha Storm Chasers volunteered for the event as well, and the hope is that the event will become an annual tradition.
