A Naperville couple is turning their upcoming summer vacation and 10th anniversary celebration into a chance to give back.
In two weeks, Shawn and Tina Griffin will be heading to Las Terrenas in the Dominican Republic, with their three kids, extended family members, and bagfuls of baseball equipment, including bats, helmets, gloves and shoes.
“Organized sports are very big in the DR, especially baseball, and a lot of communities like Las Terrenas are very underserved for the youth and children,” said Tina. “And so we are collecting gently used and new equipment to bring with us for the kids that we can hand out directly from our hands to children in the community.”
Family moved to give back after first trip to Dominican Republic
The idea was sparked during the family’s first trip to the Dominican Republic last year. It was a memorable experience, the couple said, marked by kind locals and contagious laughter and happiness from people who didn’t have much.
During one outing, they noticed children playing baseball with makeshift gear or none at all. Shawn, a baseball player for most of his life, said that’s when they knew they had to help.
“We’re here taking in all this beauty, and there are people who are here who are part of this beauty, who are struggling,” said Shawn.
The family decided to return to Las Terrenas this summer with free supplies for the youth.
Community members donate to the cause
They began collecting equipment in early May, first seeking donations from family and friends and buying items as well.
A trip to Play It Again Sports in Naperville turned up another resource, with store manager Wesley Webb getting on board to help after hearing their story.
“Wesley was an amazing and tremendous help…in trading in either equipment that is not a good fit for us or identifying additional equipment he thought may be a good fit for what we’re trying to accomplish,” said Tina.
He donated overstocked items that were in good condition but not fit for sale, and some lace so players could repair their worn-out gloves.
Webb said the couple’s mission is exactly what Play it Again Sports is all about.
“From Shawn telling us the story of seeing kids play baseball with cardboard mitts, Play It Again Sports’ motto is ‘All those who can play,’ so we wanted to make sure any kid could have the opportunity to play,” said Webb.
And a social media share brought in community support from people like Kimberly Blitek, a local PE teacher who collects sports equipment for low-income students.
“Her reading about what we wanted to do, she wanted to meet us. And I mean, the very day that she sent Tina a message, she came and saw us and had a trunk of equipment,” said Shawn.
Couple hopes to use their resources to spread joy
The family now has enough items to fill more than three baseball equipment bags and is still collecting more.
As they prepare for the trip, they say they hope to put a smile on as many faces as possible.
“If one of these kids gets one of these gloves, it might be the best thing that they have for a sport that they truly love, so for me, seeing that smile on their face is worth $1 billion, more than anything,” said Shawn.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!
