May is Community Living Month for Madawaska Valley Association for Community Living, and it usually wraps up with an exciting Baseball Day – in 2025 this will be held on May 30th. But this year the baseball season in Madawaska Valley won’t end with Baseball Day. MVACL has been accepted by the Toronto Blue Jays’ foundation, Jays Care, to provide a Jays Challenger Baseball program that will continue throughout the summer. Above from left: Mindy Brotton and Kelly Dombroski display the MVACL Jays Care Community Partner banner. (Photo: Nancy Dombroskie)
MVACL Supports and Service Manager, Mindy Brotton, told The Current that MVACL’s annual Baseball Day has grown over the years with fellow Community Living Associations throughout Renfrew County and Hastings County joining in the fun. According to Brotton, it’s been so popular that “everyone wants to be on the Baseball Committee.” With this in mind, when Brotton learned about the Toronto Blue Jays Challenger Baseball program online, she applied in February, and a month later MVACL was accepted as a Jays Care Community Partner.
Challenger Baseball
Challenger Baseball is an adaptive baseball or softball program designed to empower individuals living with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. This adaptive program is ideal for organizations that are motivated to create introductory sport programs specifically tailored to the needs, strengths and hopes of individuals with disabilities. In this program, baseball or softball is used as the vehicle to enhance four main program objectives: connection, courage, independence and love of physical activity. MVACL will offer the program twice a week from June – September.
Brotton and Dombroski received Coaches Training in early April and are excited to extend that training on May 6th for volunteer community coaches MaryAnn Dombroskie, Amanda Levean, Glen Getz and Chadd Stoppa.
Brotton told The Current that this program has great potential for growth because of the local interest in MVACL’s Baseball Day – it could be extended locally to include Combermere and Palmer Rapids – and across Renfrew and Hastings Counties through other Community Living organizations. Because this is an annual program, organizations would reapply each year.
Jays Care Community Partners connect people facing significant barriers, and want to bring them together to work on drills and skills, to help them gain confidence, and feel part of a team. The Jays Care website explains their programs are different from a traditional baseball/softball league because:
- We use modified baseball equipment.
- You don’t need access to a baseball diamond – any safe space will do!
- It is less focused on gameplay.
- Most hours of the program are spent on teambuilding, drills and skills.
- There is a strong focus on belonging and implementing a trauma-sensitive approach.
- All partners are able to offer free or heavily subsidized programming.
MVACL has already received its outdoor sports equipment and will run the program on space provided by MV Township.
The Jays Care website points out the impact of its programming — nearly 15,000 children, youth and adult participants in Challenger Baseball at 417 sites across Canada, 621 educators and coaches trained in adaptive programming. In 2025 Madawaska Valley will be added to the roster of sites.