A federal judge ordered the Trump Administration on June 5 to restore millions of dollars in AmeriCorps funding and volunteer workers to dozens of states across the country.
One of those states is California.
Along the Central Coast, an AmeriCorps-funded baseball league had already found a plan to keep their little league program alive.
When the Trump Administration announced nearly $400 million dollars in cuts to AmeriCorps-funded programs, the league was unsure how it would continue.
That’s when the San Francisco Giants Community Fund stepped up. The fund is the official 501 (c) (3) non-profit of the San Francisco Giants.
Chrissy Camillari is the senior coordinator of communications for the Giants Community Fund.
“We worked very fast alongside our board and our staff, and we were able to sustain the Junior Giants ambassador program for this season, including in San Luis Obispo. So, we have an ambassador out there on the ground level, and the program will continue as planned,” said Camilliari.
Camillari says the Giants Community Fund wasn't able to keep the entire program intact, but they were able to sustain a smaller version of the program.
The Junior Giants youth baseball league offers team sports experiences at no cost to children from the age of 5 to 13.
The league also gives Cal Poly students a chance to work with kids teaching life skills, teamwork, and bullying prevention.
It’s still unclear how the judge’s decision will impact the program in the future.
The Junior Giants season began on Monday, June 9, and will end in early August.
