Batting 1.000 in Teamwork

Each spring, a parade of young players in baseball uniforms marches through Boston’s South End neighborhood to mark the beginning of the season for South End Baseball, a recreational league for youths ages 5 to 18. Adult volunteers for the nonprofit organization teach kids how to hit and catch, good sportsmanship, and how to work together as a team.

Before the program started in 1987, youths in South End, Roxbury, and Chinatown, tough Boston neighborhoods that are slowly becoming gentrified, didn’t have an opportunity to play ball because there was no local Little League. Now more than 900 boys and girls, mainly from low-income families, play under the watchful and encouraging eyes of 120 volunteer coaches, some of whom are former South End players. Participants must try out, but everyone makes a team.

The festive atmosphere of the opening parade continues at games, where players’ names are announced as they walk up to bat, music blares in between innings, and refreshments are available for spectators who crowd the bleachers. The idea, says Owen Carlson, president of the nonprofit organization, is to make the kids feel special and excited. The games provide a positive alternative to hanging out on the streets, and several participants have won college baseball scholarships, he says.

But the biggest bonus, says Mr. Carlson, is that South End Baseball offers a rallying point for a diverse community. “Kids that don’t normally spend time together and parents who don’t normally meet up end up spending a summer together in a common effort,” he says. Mr. Carlson, who volunteers his time, hopes to organize games year-round.

Although the program is free, youths are required to sell $20 worth of raffle tickets to help pay for a portion of the program’s costs. The rest of the $120,000 annual budget, which covers uniforms, trophies, transportation, equipment, and an annual awards banquet, mostly comes from corporate sponsorships and gifts from individuals.