Volunteering is one of the tenets built into the Mount Vernon High School baseball team. That was recognized by the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group, when the baseball team were named the volunteers of the year.
“It means a lot for our program to be recognized as volunteers of the year,” said coach Charles Chatman. “Our baseball team is most of all about service and enriching the community is just as important to us as playing baseball.”
Among projects the team has heled with include cleaning up at Camp Courageous, as well as helping at any of the festivals that the Community Development Group is holding throughout the year – Chalk the Walk, Chocolate Stroll, Nitty Gritty Antiques Festival and Heritage Days.
“We also get requests from citizens in the community, like older adults who need help with cleaning up yards after a storm, and we support what we can,” Chatman said.
Chatman said that commitment to community is an important part of the team’s schedule, built in along side things like practice and baseball games.
One of their favorite activities has to be helping with the teardown of Heritage Days in uptown Mount Vernon late Saturday evening and early Sunday morning.
“They might complain about having to come back up to Uptown, but once they’re here at 11:30 p.m. and helping with the tear down and not getting in trouble for being out so late in Mount Vernon, it is something very cool to see,” Chatman said.
And while every player is involved in volunteer activities and hours, Chatman is also helped by the multiple assistant coaches who lead by example for the youth.
That includes Mike Woods, Adam McDermott, Paul Bentley and Kevin Foreman. Those men have youths involved in some capacity on the team, but also are involved in many of the volunteer opportunities for the team members.
“Between myself and those four adults, we try to do as many volunteer activities in the community as we can,” Chatman said. “I appreciate that they take time out of their lives to help and show by example a commitment to the community we want from our team members.”
Chatman said it feels great to have people in the community recognize the efforts of the program and the team’s philosophy for community support.
“Our footing may still need to be found to give us the wins we want in baseball, but our service to the community, that is a tenet of this team that excels well,” Chatman said.