Blue Thunder - Leveling The Playing Field

What did receiving a scholarship (baseballs/equipment/practices) from The Yard/Yard Charities mean to you and Blue Thunder?

The equipment we received from Brian Guyett and The Yard helped ARC of Saline County Blue Thunder out tremendously! We had been looking for bigger gloves and helmets for our athletes as everything we had or got donated was all smaller gloves or even T-ball gloves. Which won't work for Softball. The Yard and Brian also graciously let use the facilities at The Yard which gave our athletes extra practice at a state of arc place they aren't use to using. Brian and some of the Salina Braves Softball team came to one of our practices and helped coach our athletes as well as helped test our athletes! When Brian was there at practice we were short a tape measure and he ran to The Yard to let us borrow one and he brought back two big tubs of brand new softballs. After seeing we could also use softballs he left one of the tubs with us to keep. He even donated a nice rolling bat bag that one of the teams laid claim too and really love it! We had just added Softball to our list of sports that we offer so new equipment was not in the budget this year so the generous donations and help are greatly appreciated!
 

Without this scholarship, what opportunities might you have missed out on?

Not really sure any opportunities would have been missed but with the donations the coaches can focus on coaching the athletes rather then searching for equipment or other potential fundraisers to raise money for the equipment.
 

What is your favorite memory or experience so far with the team?  I know that softball is brand new to Blue Thunder, but I am sure you have some awesome stuff to share!

Most definitely how the athletes celebrate every hit or every play in the field! They are always picking each other up and having a good time!
 

What would you like to say to the donors who made it possible for Blue Thunder to receive the equipment and training?

We greatly appreciate the generous donation from the bottom of our hearts!
 

Why do you think supporting programs like Blue Thunder matters for our community?

We are all exclusive and we give athletes with all types of disabilities the ability to feel like everyone else that likes to play sports. We give them the opportunity to get out and exercise and be part of a team. Supporting things like Blue Thunder keeps them around for years to come to give everyone the same opportunity. 
 

What are your goals for Blue Thunder softball, and how has The Yard helped you chase those goals?

Our goal is to have as many teams as we have athletes to fill. We limited it to just two teams this year, one coach pitch team and one athlete pitch team. The Yard helped by getting the first two teams going and looking to working together in the future!
 

Thank you Brian and The Yard for everything you do for the community!

Thankful for you and your team that goes out of your way to help those with special needs.  We need more people like you in our community!