HBQVB Athletic Association to play 24 hour baseball game for charity

Queens, NY.- Sleep will be at a premium starting at noon on Saturday, May 22^nd when the 500 players of HBQVB AA (Hollis-Bellaire-Queens Village-Bellerose Athletic Association) participate in New York City’s first ever 24-hour marathon baseball game.

The Knights of Columbus (Holy Family Council 14520) created the event, billed “Extra Innings with HBQVB,” as a charity event to raise money for a variety of national, regional and local charities, and also to help support the HBQVB Athletic Association.

“Extra Innings” will begin on Saturday, May 22^nd, at noon and continue straight through the night until Sunday, May 23^rd, at noon.  Every baseball and softball player at HBQVB who signs up to participate in “Extra Innings” will play in the game.  The 24-hour roster will feature T-ballers right through to those playing in the Babe Ruth league.  The players range in age from five to 18, in fact, many of them have parents who played in HBQVB when they were the same ages. 

The 24-hour game of a lifetime will be played at MCU Park (formerly KeySpan Park), home of the New York Mets’ Class A farm team, the Brooklyn Cyclones. 

Event organizer and K of C member John Saffian said, “This is going to be a great ball game, and it’s also going to be a great community builder.  These young boys and girls from Queens and Long Island will be playing a 24-hour game on a professional field in Brooklyn, and the event will raise money for many worthy causes.  The kids can’t wait to step onto that ball field.”

As players raise funds they receive prizes. When a player raises: $50- An official event shirt, $150- An official event shirt AND official event hat, $250- An official event shirt AND official event hat AND the opportunity to attend, with a guest, lunch with a former New York baseball legend.  Lunch includes a question and answer session and a picture taking opportunity. The top overall fundraiser will win the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Brooklyn Cyclones game.  There will also be team awards to encourage participation.

About HBQVB Athletic Association:

Hollis-Bellaire-Queens Village-Bellerose Athletic Association, Inc. (HBQVB) is a state certified  not-for-profit baseball and softball organization.  It is a chartered member of the nationally known Babe Ruth baseball association.  HBQVB is located in central-eastern Queens, two blocks west of the Cross Island Parkway on Hillside Avenue, easily accessible from major NYC and Long Island highways.  In addition to the nine playing fields (known as PADAVAN-PRELLER FIELDS), there are batting cages, restrooms, an equipment room, a concession stand and a full parking lot. 

The league was founded in 1954.  The first president of the organization was Bill Gallo, the well known Daily News cartoonist, who formerly lived in Hollis.  He, along with a few neighbors, started the league in his back yard.  In 1963, the membership parents, with the assistance of local politicians Fred Preller and Matt Troy, obtained the rights to the present general property on Hillside Avenue opposite the Creedmoor Hospital facility.  The first diamond, Fred Preller Stadium, opened in 1966.  Building continued through the 1960’s, again with the aid of local politicians, most notably State Senator Frank Padavan.  The last field was constructed in 1995.  HBQVB now has nine tailored ball fields and dugouts which cover 14 acres and which were all constructed by volunteers.  During subsequent years, the league was able to purchase the land from New York State for the exclusive use of youth programs.  

HBQVB programs begin with five-year-olds playing T-Ball, and a pitching machine Pee-Wee division for six and seven-year-olds.  The programs continue with the better recognized little league divisions of Midget, Minor, Major, Pony and Senior- representing boys and girls fromthe ages of eight to 16.  The older boys and girls play on full-scale baseball/softball diamonds. All divisions are open to children of all skills and experience levels.  Programs for 17 and 18-year-olds are offered on a limited basis, in addition to competitive travel and tournament teams in many age brackets. 

The mission of HBQVB has always been to implant in the youth of the community the ideals and virtues of honesty, fair play, integrity and respect for the game, as well as good sportsmanship.  The HBQVB motto “We teach more than just the sport” drives the present organization into providing the highest quality programs and services to the community.

About Fisher House Foundation:

The Fisher House™ program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House™ Foundation donates “comfort homes,” built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times-during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.

There is at least one Fisher House™ at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House™ program serves more than 10,000 families, and have made available nearly three million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990.