Awards dinner honors youth baseball advocates

The Greater New York Sandlot Athletic Alliance (GNYSAA) and Major League Baseball will host the Annual Raymond Church Service to Youth Baseball Awards Dinner on Monday, December 4 at RomaView, 160-05 Cross Bay Blvd. in Howard Beach.
The event is named after Raymond Church, founder of the Dukes baseball organization and former President of the GNYSAA in tribute to his dedicated service to thousands of children throughout Queens and the Greater New York Area. The purpose of the event is to honor citizens who have made significant contributions to local baseball and to raise much-needed funds to ensure that the young people of the five boroughs and Long Island have access to quality baseball programs that support their well-being.
This year, the GNYSAA will honor John P. Franco, former major league pitching star, Robert F. Holden, founder of the Midville Dodgers Baseball Program and President of the Juniper Park Civic Association and William H. Bellas, vice-president of the Queens Kiwanis Sports Association and commissioner of Queens Kiwanis Baseball. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased by contacting Albert Poltie at 718-894-1493.
The GNYSAA is currently comprised of area sandlot leagues including Brooklyn-Queens CYO, Diamond Pros, Long Island City YMCA, Long Island Connie Mack, New York Federation, Queens Kiwanis Sports Association, Police Athletic League (PAL) and Staten Island CYO. Since 1961, the GNYSAA has provided long term support of New York City children through baseball, and currently serves over 30,000 young people ages 6 to 18 in the New York City Metropolitan area.
Each year the GNYSAA provides opportunities for all-star games at Shea Stadium, and local tournaments including the Frank J. Tempone (former director of the Long Island City YMCA) Memorial Tournament in three different age divisions and the Raymond Church Memorial Tournament in our senior division. Dozens of current and former major leaguers have played in our annual All-star games and tournaments.
They also award the Margaret Tempone and Raymond Church Memorial Scholarships to graduating high school student-athletes who have shown exceptional ability on the field complemented by community service and educational achievement.
The GNYSAA is supported by local fund raising, the New York Mets Foundation and Major League Baseball. Contributions to the Greater New York Sandlot Athletic Alliance are tax deductible.
If you would like further information about the GNYSAA or would like to become a volunteer, contact Thomas Sylvester at 718-392-7932 x239 or tsylvester@ymcanyc.org.