Junior Giants is a Lot More than Baseball

The Crescent City Council approved the waiving of permit and lighting fees associated with the use of Peterson Park by Del Norte County for the Junior Giants Summer Program.

Recreation coordinator John Horner and Junior Giants official Aaron Martinez appeared before councilors and received the fee waiver to conduct the Summer Program on the Southwest Baseball diamond.

The Program is much more than baseball / softball. Junior Giants is a free, non-competitive co-ed program made possible by the Giants Community Fund in coordination with the San Francisco Giants. The Program is divided into T-ball, Minor and Major categories. Other Junior Giants Programs are conducted throughout the Bay Area, Mt. Shasta and Medford.

The Program aims to utilize baseball as a forum to encourage youth and families to live healthy, productive lives and teaches children ages 5-13 the fundamentals of baseball and places an emphasis on building character over winning or losing. Components include:

• Round-the-Bases Reading Program.

• Strike-Out Bullying Program.

• Four Bases of Character Development (Confidence, Integrity, Leadership and Teamwork).

Horner expects registration to exceed 300 kids. Parents can register online at gojrgiants.org or at the Recreation Office on H Street, just north of the Flynn Center.

The City waived approximately $200 in utility fees and permit for the June-August event.