Fitch baseball players exchange mitts for ladles
Local Athletes Give Back
On Thanksgiving day a group of Austintown baseball athletes and their coach will take time away from their families to lend a helping hand to the less fortunate.
AUSTINTOWN
Austintown Fitch High School varsity baseball coach Joe Paris had his team scooping stuffing, slicing turkey and doling out rolls to those in need of a Thanksgiving dinner for their holiday Thursday afternoon.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. his varsity players suited up by exchanging baseball mitts for ladles to help out at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, 962 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Youngstown. Paris said taking time away for their families enabled him to teach the players about the value of a thankful holiday and the importance of giving.
More than 40 recipients showed the players their appreciation for a warm meal on the drizzly holiday.
Paris said he wanted his players to understand how fortunate they are and be appreciative.
“Sometimes we take things for granted, like the ability to play a great sport like baseball, and I just feel that there are times where, we as a team, are able to pay it forward to those who are less fortunate,” he said.
Paris is carrying out a well-known Falcon Family mission: to teach students to do the right things.
“This is just part of the process we teach them – to be good community members and to represent the community in the right way,” he said. “And what a way to give back to the community.”