How the Steelers’ signing of local QB Charlie Batch has turned into ‘so much more’
When the Steelers signed Charlie Batch to a one-year contract in 2002, team president Art Rooney II insisted expectations were fairly modest.
“We thought we were getting a backup quarterback,” Rooney said. “We got so much more than that.”
Not that he needed a reminder, but if Rooney wanted to assess what Batch has become in his hometown – far beyond anything that has transpired on a football field – evidence is readily available.
Wednesday marked the official unveiling of the new Best of the Batch Foundation Clubhouse, a 33,000-square-foot campus on West Street in Batch’s native Homestead, where spread over three buildings the nonprofit can continue impacting thousands of area kids.
After taking a partial tour during Patrick Peterson’s Thanksgiving turkey giveaway event last year, I couldn’t wait to come back for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and official unveiling of the dazzling facility.
“There’s a picture over there of the house this all started in,” Rooney continued. “It’s amazing to see this today.”
“It’s been an emotional day all day,” Batch told me as things started to wind down. “When you think about getting to this point, with so many people having supported what we’re trying to do here, it’s truly humbling.”
What Charlie Batch and his wife, Latasha Wilson-Batch, have done is nothing short of incredible. Their foundation was founded in 1999, making this the 25th anniversary. They serve over 4,000 kids annually across 22 school districts in nine counties.
The Best of the Batch Foundation hands out backpacks in August and September, wraps and delivers presents around the holidays, has summer camp when school is out and punctuates that with year-long programming to not only take care of kids but help them grow.
One story that grabbed me was that of Kennedy Smith, another Homestead native who started coming here around age 3. After completing his undergrad work at La Roche University, Smith is now studying sports law and business at Arizona State, his sights set on a master’s degree and a career doing social work.
Smith interned at the Batch Foundation and worked as a social outreach manager. Five years ago, he spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony and served as the event’s emcee on Wednesday.
“This place is a safe haven for kids,” Smith said. “They don’t look at it as a school. They look at it as a family, an extension of their own. They know they can talk to us, be open with us, and that we’re going to take care of them.”
Smith then invoked one of his favorite sayings from the charismatic and downright hilarious Wilson-Batch.
Learn It, Earn It, Return It. It’s how Smith developed a passion for volunteer work. It’s also why he donated his time with the Fiesta Bowl in its charitable efforts this past year, along with several other organizations, and why he endured the most absurd travel itinerary I think I’ve ever heard to get here.
Smith said he couldn’t get a flight out of Phoenix because it was the day after the NCAA men’s basketball championship, so he drove to Tucson, Ariz., thinking he might get one there. No luck. After driving back and taking a bus to Las Vegas, he said he flew the ol’ Vegas-Los Angeles-San Francisco-Pittsburgh route and arrived around 7 Wednesday morning.
“I had to make it,” Smith said, shaking his head. “It was mandatory – it’s family. What they did for me growing up, I could never repay them. So whatever I can do, I’ll always be there for them. Growing up, it wasn’t the best area. But I love being able to change the narrative.”
Too often in sports, we get wrapped up in who’s traded, who isn’t performing and should be traded or benched, who’s unhappy, why a coach or manager made a certain call or what a contract might mean in the context of a salary cap or that player’s career.
It’s fun but also fodder in the larger scheme of things. There’s another side here that doesn’t get highlighted enough: Those who use their platform for good.
Batch carved out a solid career, throwing for 11,085 yards and 61 touchdowns over 15 seasons, 11 with the Steelers, the final eight of them as a backup. Yet it pales in comparison to the work he’s done off the field.
“Charlie has been such an inspiration and an example for our players and everybody in this community,” Rooney said. “It’s an honor to be here.”
Another of my favorite moments came from Latasha, who joked that her staff was taking bets on when she’d start crying. Wilson-Batch talked about the education gap they’re trying to close with not only reading help but things like a STEAM lab; robotics, coding and music education programs; plus a ballet studio, emotional support room and restaurant-grade kitchen.
It’s all created to avoid the look and feel of school, encouraging kids to have fun and keep coming back.
“When you have a sixth-grader saying they’re at a fourth-grade reading level, that’s a problem,” Wilson-Batch said. “We have a responsibility to change those things.
“We’re in the business of tricking kids to do educational programming. So we’ll fill up a water balloon, but they’re gonna know exactly how many ounces go in that balloon and how hard they have to throw it.”
After the formal part of the event ended, I found myself chatting some Pirates with Zach Brenner, who grew up in the area, went to Steel Valley and was actually better friends with Charlie’s younger brother Vernon.
A plumber by trade, Brenner has done contracting work for the Batches and handled the landscaping outside for Wednesday’s event. I asked him to put into perspective what Batch has meant for the Homestead community.
“Charlie and Latasha, man, they’re just two great human beings,” Brenner said. “But they’re also out at basketball games and community events. Just super approachable and always wanting to help those around them.”
As I looked at the poster of the single house Rooney mentioned, I couldn’t help but laugh at the premise that the Steelers really thought signing Batch would be about his work as a quarterback.
“A place like this is needed so much in today’s day and age,” said former county executive Rich Fitzgerald, who was part of the group that originally authorized funding for the groundbreaking five years ago. “Keep up the great work, Charlie. Keep doing this for another 25 years and help these kids out.”