Baseball nonprofit goes to bat for area’s low-income kids
In spring of 2020, Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley CEO Steve Wymer was wondering how he could expose the kids he served at 16 clubs across the Bay Area to his beloved baseball. The hindering factors: expensive equipment, hiring coaches with a background in the sport and the fact that only one local club had a field.
Then, a gift seemingly dropped from the heavens.
It came in the form of a phone call and subsequent lunch with Justin Oliver, Los Gatos High School’s varsity baseball coach. Oliver had teamed up with former Boston Red Sox All-Star infielder Kevin Youkilis, now owner of Loma Brewing Co., to found Grind to Shine Baseball. The nonprofit’s goal is to make baseball accessible to kids who might not otherwise be able to afford to play.
“I was like, ‘Bro, you gotta stand up and give me a hug. This is the calling of my heart here. Yes, absolutely. Let’s do this!’” Wymer recalled, adding that he was “thinking in the back of my mind Justin might donate some bats or Kevin Youkilis might donate some stuff or whatever.”
Turns out Oliver and Youkilis were willing to do much more: A free baseball camp for any Boys & Girls Clubs member.
To make good on his promise, Oliver called in a favor and got access to Excite Ballpark, home to the San Jose Giants. Oliver’s players volunteered to teach the 58 campers baseball fundamentals — how to catch a fly ball and field a ground ball, basic batting mechanics and how to be a good teammate.
Campers, who were in grades 2 through 10, received a hat, shirt, bat and glove. Afterward, a shave ice truck pulled up to offer post-camp sustenance.
Oliver recalled one beaming 8-year-old who could barely contain his excitement.
“He spread his arms wide and said, ‘Oh, my gosh! This is like those birthday parties at the park that I never get invited to.’ He didn’t care about the baseball,” he said.
Since then, Grind to Shine, which relies 100% on donations, has hosted two additional camps, reaching more than 135 underserved youth in San Jose. They recently bought $5,000 worth of equipment (including a pitching machine, 10 dozen practice balls and two catcher’s gloves) to support the baseball program at Sacramento’s Luther Burbank High School and help grow the game in that community.
“Grind To Shine is a small glimpse of hope that touches lives of those who can’t afford private lessons, travel teams, camps and the expensive gear that is needed to play this great game,” said Oliver, who grew up in Saratoga biking down to the Little League field, and later played in college and worked as a scout for the Red Sox.
Youkilis, who defied all odds to get to the show, cited a Time magazine article chronicling how kids’ sports leagues have turned into a $15 billion industry.
“We’ve got to find a way to get the fields back in play for all kids,” he said. “Grind to Shine is a positive push to provide for young kids who otherwise might not ever get a chance to step out onto a baseball field or afford a baseball bat or glove. We’ve been lucky a lot of people have donated great equipment and given a little bit of their time. That support goes a long way.”
Grind to Shine plans to offer baseball scholarships for high school players who are planning on college athletic careers. For more information or to donate, go to cefsbaseball.org.