Yesterday, April 29, was a big day for kids and the rest of the family, as Kansas City once again brought RBI to the neighborhood. RBI stands for Reviving Baseball in the Inner City. More importantly, those initials stand for wholesome family fun, learning for both girls and boys, and sheer baseball fun!
The RBI began in the City of Angels back in ‘89 and began molding Kansas City kids in fine athletes in ‘96. This program is supported by the Major League Baseball (MLB) so kids are given one the finest professional training in the country. The program does not only aim to spread the love of America’s favorite ballgame. It also encourages girls and boys, aged 5 to 18, to do well in school. They are not just taught to become outstanding athletes, they are also taught to become respectable men and women of the future.
The RBI aims to promote LID: leadership, image, and decision-making. Participants are given free meals and are supplied with equipments so they can perform at the optimal level. Lack of equipments is one of the obstacles former Major League players John Young had to overcome on his home run to success. So in 1989 he sought ways so girls and boys can avoid vice and crimes. Now, the RBI program is so popular it has now spread all over the country. By keeping them on the field, girls and boys are kept away from jail.
The residents of Kansas and nearby places benefited from this program through the aid of Kansas City Royals, KCMO Parks and Recreation Department, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Hot 103 JAMZ Radio station. They are also partnered by people who spare a few dollars for a noble cause.
If you missed yesterday’s big event, you shouldn’t miss next year’s!
