Baseball dinner raises funds for youth sports

The Greater New York Sandlot Athletic Alliance (GNYSAA) and Major League Baseball hosted the second annual Raymond Church Service to Youth Baseball Awards Dinner at RomaView Caterers in Howard Beach. The purpose of this 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.
The GNYSAA along with approximately 170 attendees honored former major league pitching star John Franco with the Raymond Church Lifetime Achievement Award as well as 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 with Outstanding Lifetime Community Service Awards. Proclamations from State Senator Serphin Maltese, Councilmember Dennis Gallagher and Congressmember Anthony Weiner were also presented to the honorees.
Also awarded were the Margaret Tempone Memorial Scholarship to Peter P. Arena and the Raymond Church Memorial Scholarship to Brian Fraser. These scholarships were awarded to graduating high school student-athletes who have shown exceptional ability on the field complemented by community service and educational achievement.
The guest speaker for the evening was the former head coach of the St. John’s University baseball team, and member of the Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, Joe Russo. Also in attendance were former St. John’s Men’s Basketball Coach Lou Carnesecca and former St. John’s Athletic Director and member of the Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, Jack Kaiser.
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 GNYSAA is the successor to the Journal American Sandlot Alliance established in 1940 by Sports Editor Max Kase. It has provided long term support for New York City children through baseball, and currently serves over 20,000 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 the senior division. Dozens of current and former major leaguers have played in the annual all-star games and tournaments.
If you would like further information about the GNYSAA, contact Thomas Sylvester at (718) 392-7932 x239 or tsylvester@ymcanyc.org.