ROSSFORD, Ohio — Hitting the long ball at Total Baseball's batting cages does more than help players get a trip around the bases. It impacts community members in need.
"Every year we do a 'Hitting for a Cause' event for our program, primarily just to teach our kids, our players, what it's like to give back to those unfortunate," Garry Isbell, TOCA Baseball regional director said.
At this event, the coaches take the longest ball from each player's eight hits and multiply it per foot, based on the donation amount that each individual has pledged on their behalf.
One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit the recipient. This year, it is Elli Adkins, who has battled Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis (CRMO) since she was 10.
CRMO is an autoimmune disorder where one's immune system attacks their bones.
"Because it's so rare, there's no true treatment, no cure," Dawn Adkins, Elli's mom, said. "We just go from one…treatment and when that fails her, we move on to the next."
This has caused Elli to do school fully online, changing her everyday routine.
But she says the support reminds her that she is not alone.
"It was pretty hard not being able to do my sports and see my friends be able to do them," Elli said. "It's been really hard to deal with all of this. Knowing that there's people who really care about that, I just really appreciate it."
And the support benefits the whole family.
"It's a blessing, it's huge. Something like this, you feel very alone," Dawn Adkins said. "We feel alone, she feels alone, I mean it's a one-in-a-million chance you can have this, so when people come out and support, it's just crazy."
This event marks the eighth year that Hitting for a Cause has been around and members look forward to continuing the tradition.
"Times have been pretty tough since COVID and things like that so anytime we can help an individual family or anyone in the community, obviously it bring a lot of joy," Isbell said. "Not only to me myself, but to our company and to our players and our families."
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