Kids' baseball gives us hope

Kids' baseball gives us hope
Rep. Pete Olson 09/16/2015 3:26 pm 

Some in America believe that the prosperity we have worked so hard for will be squandered by our kids, a group of self-centered youngsters who worship at the altar of Xbox.

My experiences tell me differently and I believe will prove these folks to be wrong. All you have to do is look what young Texas men and women did this week on baseball diamonds at home and afar.

Here in Sugar Land, we had two special events with kids at Constellation Field. The first night, we honored Make-A-Wish, an organization dedicated to giving sheer joy - a wish - to kids with diseases that are likely terminal. A young Texas lady fighting cancer, Alyssa Ferguson, threw out the first pitch for the Sugar Land Skeeters ballgame. She threw a perfect strike, but that wasn't the best thing the fans saw that night. They saw a young Texan use her wish on behalf of others. Instead of meeting a celebrity or making a dream of hers come true, Alyssa asked for a water well to be dug in rural Africa to give strangers in need access to clean drinking water.

The next night, we were on the field with the First Colony Dream League. This is a baseball league for boys and girls with special needs. Some are confined to wheel chairs. Yet, no matter what their challenge, with a high school "angel" by their side, they each get to put on a uniform, hit the ball, touch the bases, score, and enjoy being part of a team. There are 900 Dream League teams in the world. Our First Colony team was one of only two chosen to play a game at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. Each one of our kids shared one thing throughout that game - a huge, Texas-sized smile!

Another Texas team was in Williamsport at the same time: the Southwest Little League Champions from Pearland. Pearland has won the Southwest Division three times in five years. They fought hard to take third place in the Little League World Series behind Japan and a team from Pennsylvania that had over 30,000 home state fans.

The Make-A-Wish kids, the First Colony Dream League, and the Pearland Little League Champs showed that the heart of the American dream and is alive and well in our youngsters. Our future prosperity is just fine in their hands and hearts.

Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land) is the representative for District 22.