Grants pitches for money
Local Baseball Congress to hold fundraiser for league

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — The Cibola County Amateur Baseball Congress wants to buy a new pitching machine for the 6- to 8-year-olds in the local league here, Charma Chavez said.

The league also wants to purchase canopies to shade eight bleacher areas on four fields at the Candelaria Sports Complex on Sakalares Boulevard, she said.

In order to successfully meet these needs, the league is offering a benefit run Saturday followed by a barbecue at the baseball fields.

The benefit run registration begins at 9:30 a.m., at John Brooks Supermart in Milan, the run starts at 10 a.m.

“We are going to do an Enchanted Mesa run,” she said.
Riders will leave Grants and drive to Enchanted Mesa in the Acoma Valley, near the Sky City Cultural Center, and return to Grants, with the last entrant hopefully arriving at the baseball fields by 1 p.m., Chavez said.

“We have a broken pitching machine that we want to replace,” she said.

At times dozens of area families sit in the hot summer sun for hours while games are being played and the canopies would help shelter them, from the hot sun.

A donation of $20 is being asked of every run participant. There will be five cards drawn at different stops and prizes of $250 for the best hand and $100 for the worst hand will be paid at the ball; fields upon completion of the run.

Chavez said anyone with a motorized vehicle is welcome to participate.

The menu at the barbecue will include hamburgers and cheeseburgers and hot dogs, chips and soda.

The barbecue is free to participants and $5 per plate for everyone else, Chavez said.

The organization is not a 501 3(C) IRS recognized charitable organization, but those who may wish to donate will receive letters stating the donation was used for the Little League's projects and is considered charitable, which may also be used when filing taxes to be able to deduct, Chavez said.

“We are hoping to raise $3,000 with this event,” she said.

“If we don't we will have to see what we can do with the money we do raise, and may not be able to cover all the bleachers this year.”

Information: Chanda Turley, (505) 290-1408; Aaron Dean, (505) 290-0481; Brendan Rodarte, (505) 287-4930; or Lisa Gutierrez, (505) 287-0363.