Why We Do What We Do

One might find it hard to envision character, integrity, perseverance and ambition while surrounded by boarded-up homes, dilapidated properties and the many faces of poverty.  However, if you were to venture over to the heart of the west side in the Garfield Park, and some surrounding neighborhoods, that’s exactly what you’d find.

Garfield Park Little League is a 501(c) (3) not for profit organization founded in 2008.  The mission of the GPLL is to establish baseball on Chicago’s westside as a viable sport as well as a teaching tool towards accountability, leadership skills and character building.

Our yearly goal is to provide activities that will keep us connected with our youth during the off season.  Many activities are geared towards providing opportunities through athletic training, experiential education and motivation to empower youth to become positive contributors to society.

More than 500 boys and girls and over 60 volunteers make up the rapidly growing Garfield Park Little League (GPLL).  Children from underprivileged neighborhoods and all over the city are drawn to our program because we pride ourselves in doing more than just baseball and softball at GPLL.  We emphasize the importance of being vested in education and supporting the personal growth of our youth.  Our ACT prep course 30 or Bust attempts to propel our high school students to success by positioning them for higher education. We have also implemented a program that we call Bases Loaded, which uses the sport of baseball as an incentive to increase reading and improve school attendance and grades. Through this coordination with the Teachers and Parents we have witnessed marked improvements for many of the Garfield Park student-athletes.

We look forward to continued growth and increased impact in the communities we serve.