Little Neck-Douglaston (LND) Little League raised $600 during its Annual Spring Fundraiser on Tuesday, May 6, at Gino’s Pizzeria, located at 61-32 Springfield Blvd. in Bayside.
The $600, provided by Gino’s Pizzeria, will go towards new catcher’s equipment and uniforms for the players, at no cost to the parents and guardians. In addition to getting donations to help support the league, this event also acted as a celebration of the arrival of spring and the return of baseball season. Approximately 100 children and adults taking part in LND Little League showed up to enjoy this event.
Gino’s Pizzeria has been a sponsor of LND Little League since 2020, when Nicholas Singh, Lou Bolkovic and Ariel Bartolo De La Rosa took over the league. Since then, registration for the league has spiked from just 12 kids to now over 100. In addition to moving past the COVID-19 pandemic, the trio also credits the quick and immense growth to more kids wanting to spend their springs outdoors with friends and family. This league grants them such an opportunity, while also helping them have joy and appreciation for baseball.
“[It’s] much greater than a winning baseball team. We approached Little League as a family. We never turned anyone away,” Singh said. “We opened registration and developed any kid that wanted to play ball. We practiced once a week, had games twice a week, did summer camps, rented out batting cages in the winter and got to spend our time with our children.”
This event is just the latest to reflect the connection between the league and the community. During the previous fall season, the league showed its support for breast cancer awareness by having all the players wear pink socks.
LND Little League has divisions for kids ranging from 4-14 years of age. With the 14-year-old kids from the highest-level team, the Lightning, set to graduate from both middle school and LND, Singh reflected on how great it was to see many of those kids rise through each level over the years.
“This is the final season of the Lightning,” Singh said at the fundraising event. “Our boys are going to high school in the Fall. So, tonight let’s enjoy the pizza. Tomorrow it’s back to business. We have 47 days left together, and a lifetime to celebrate the memories we built together at Little Neck Douglaston.”
For more information on the Little Neck-Douglaston Little League baseball program, visit lndbaseball.org.
