Send Lady Tigers to Chicago Bandits Stadium Tournament
My students need transportation to Chicago to participate in Softball tournament.
$28,816 goal
This project expired on January 9, 2017.
This project expired on January 9, 2017.
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
Inspiring many across the entire nation, the Lady Tigers are more than a softball team but a family of sisters who encourage and support each other while enduring the struggles of inner city life. Their story "To Be a Tiger" on YouTube details the courageous story of a team overcoming cancer and poverty. Battling an environment plagued with poverty, drugs and gang violence, our school strives to provide these young girls with hope. Softball has become a way of life, a means to escape the harsh reality of their circumstances and simply enjoy being a teen. They have become like my daughters who I have adopted into my heart. I have added college tours in order to expose my girls to a world beyond their concrete jungle. Each trip conveyed to my girls that softball can unlock endless educational opportunities. Sadly, most of my girls have become fixated on the notion of perpetual failure. I refuse for this belief to become their reality and I will continue to fight for their education and be that positive male figure in their lives that will never quit on them.
My Project
Accustomed to dismal housing projects, streets riddled with filth, gang presence nearly on every street corner, etc. most of my girls do not realize places like Bandits Stadium and Chicago University exist nor do they believe that they could one day step foot on a “real softball field” made of grass and dirt and not concrete riddled with broken glass. In Chicago, the Lady Tigers will once again be able to train with the best of Chicago and participate in a Softball tournament at Bandits Stadium! Last year, 15 graduating seniors had the opportunity to play in front of audience which greatly enhanced their self-esteem. Most of my girls have never step foot out of the South Bronx, let alone New York. Therefore, a trip to Chicago would be a great and awesome experience for my girls to witness firsthand how far dedication can take them. The misconception that they cannot be successful would cease to exist as they realize their full potential. Although the Lady Tigers were not victorious in the tournament last season, we won the hearts of so many as seen on our YouTube page - Lady Tigers to Chicago and Back.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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