RISINGSUN, Ohio — The softball and baseball fields for Risingsun Youth Sports have been in unideal conditions for the last few years.
That was until recently, though, when parents who once played there themselves initiated renovations to make a memorable experience for their kids.
“It was really sad to see it. There were weeds that were up to your waist, people couldn’t even really play," said Michelle Durst, co-chair of the organization. "With the work that we’ve been able to do, we’ve been able to have those games and see it come back alive.”
Durst, her husband and president Keith, and vice president Jared Capelle took over the organization two years ago when there were just three teams with 30 kids.
But with the little-by-little effort they have put in, they are now up to over 100 kids on more than eight teams.
“We took it over with the idea that we were going to offer an opportunity for kids to play in their own community, build friendships and build a lasting effort that they were going to be able to see for many years to come by doing this," Capelle said. "The time and the energy that we’ve spent down here, the countless nights that the four of us have been down here running games and trying to get things done for the kids, it’s an amazing thing that’s going to happen Saturday."
With the help of Home Depot through their Team Depot program, the organization received a grant for the field improvements.
Rick Johnson, Home Depot maintenance supervisor, is a parent of kids who are a part of Risingsun Youth Sports and initiated the idea of helping the organization revamp the fields to motivate the kids and uplift the community.
“Our company lives on some values, ‘building stronger relationships, supporting our people’," he said. "My kids started playing here this year (and) when the opportunity came up for us to be able to help the community and give back a little bit, it was perfect timing.”
The organization and Home Depot volunteers have set out to have all hands on deck on Saturday to kickstart the renovation process, which includes putting up a homerun fence and a roof on the dugouts, redoing the wooden bleacher benches to avoid splinters, inserting a door and window on the concession stand, painting and more.
“It’s good for them to have a nice, safe space to play and a place that looks nice that they can be proud of and that we can be proud of to put them out there," Keith Durst said. "I think it’s more important for the village of Risingsun to have something they can be proud of.”
Any and all volunteers are welcome to come out to Risingsun Community Park to volunteer as the organization prepares to host 25 games for their 10U softball tournament from Jun. 27 to Jul. 1.