This summer, 150 Junior Giants and their families celebrated the end of the 2004 season with a closing day ceremony on August 14th at Patterson Elementary School in the Cabrillo neighborhood. Local dignitaries and city officials, including Mayor Gus Morrison, Vice Mayor Steve Cho and Councilmember Bill Pease were on hand to pass out trophies and congratulate the Junior Giants and their volunteer coaches.

Although Junior Giants, the flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, has been in existence since 1994, this is only the second year that the program has been offered in Fremont, under the administration of the Cabrillo Neighborhood Team of the Fremont Family Resource Center (FRC). The six week program is offered free to boys and girls who might not otherwise get an opportunity to play an organized sport. The Giants Community Fund provides all equipment, caps and shirts, coaches’ training and technical assistance to its Junior Giants leagues. In 2002, Junior Giants was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame as the “Best Single Program,” an honor well deserved.

In the Cabrillo Neighborhood, Junior Giants not only provides a safe and healthy opportunity for children to develop skills and have fun, it serves as another link in the FRC’s ongoing community building effort, which is supported by the S.H. Cowell Foundation and the Evelyn and Walter Hass Jr. Fund.

“Providing Junior Giants and other opportunities allows us to help strengthen community ties through the Cabrillo neighborhood’s three elementary schools, increase parent involvement and develop their leadership skills,” said Junior Giants Commisioner Ronda Terra. She added that this year’s program relied on ten head coaches and fifteen assistant coaches, all but one living in the Cabrillo neighborhood.

Judy Schwartz, FRC administrator, and Patricia Garcia, community engagement specialist for the City of Fremont, round out the Cabrillo Neighborhood Team; and the City of Fremont’s Suzanne Shenfil, Human Services Director, recognized Terra and her teammates for another excellent year of baseball.

For the second year in a row, the local business community stepped up to the plate by helping with expenses, including Ken Noia, Realty Experts; Jan Vincent, JVAMarket.com; Alpine Awards, Negative Space Photography. Raffle volunteers Arti Sharma and Joyce Gearhart did an impressive job rounding up a huge assortment of prizes, and the City of Fremont’s MaryLou Johnson donated her photography and graphic design talents.