Popular soccer program expands into T-ball

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

When local resident Denise Geremia couldn’t justify spending upwards of $100 to put her three-year-old daughter into sports, she spearheaded the Munchkins Soccer program – an initiative that attracted 65 youngsters in its infancy and has since more than tripled in three years time.
The overwhelming demand emphasized the need for free programming in a cash-strapped economy, and this year resulted in parents asking for the program’s expansion into T-ball.
As interest increased, Geremia embraced the challenge and is now actively collecting equipment.
“Some people honestly can’t afford paid programs,” said Geremia. “There’s gymnastics and there are music classes, there’s skating and everything costs money. If I can give these parents some stuff for free, at least these kids are going out and being active, and then they have money to put towards other things that you can’t do for free.”
The program – which is scheduled to start next summer and targets children aged four, five and six – requires donations of bases, pitchers, kid-sized bats and balls.
The shout-out is a flashback to three years ago when Geremia received a monetary donation and purchased six soccer nets. Together with 30 volunteers, the group gathered at Hope Covenant Community Church to set up the equipment. She soon received phone calls from parents donating and purchasing balls for the free-of-charge parent-led soccer program. But the contributions didn’t end there.
H&H Huxted donated portable toilets, while Walmart issued a $200 cheque for more equipment. Furthermore, local residents donated their sheds to store the equipment and Rona offered Geremia a shed at a discounted price, then moved it to its new location free of charge. Other residents donated their time to build the base for the shed.
The community’s involvement, parent participation, and Geremia’s determination and hard work paid off when nearly 300 kids participated in Munchkin’s Soccer this year, catering to ages three to seven.
The mother of two girls – one aged four, the other six months – Lindsay Crook was captivated by the program when she heard about it on Facebook, and she supports the introduction of T-ball wholeheartedly.
“I think it’s an amazing program, it’s great to not have to pay and let the kids try a sport, and a lot of kids otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to,” said Crook, whose daughter joined the program a year ago. “This year I was on mat leave so there is no way I would be able to afford to put my daughter into any of the sport programs. I think Denise does a stand-up job of getting everything organized. She doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of community support, she does a lot by herself, and I think that she really puts herself out there for it and I know me as a mom is super appreciative.”
Geremia often refers to the program as a glorified play date. She also makes sure parents are aware there is no insurance and that she and the volunteers cannot be held liable in case of injuries.
While the equipment for the T-ball program will be provided, parents are required to provide helmets and gloves for their young athletes.
“Parents are the coaches and people volunteer for everything,” said Geremia. “If you are good, that’s all it is about. If you have something to get them started learning what a team sport is, and you can do it for free, it sets them up for the rest of their lives.”