Mike Shildt
Co-Founder
Our Story
The brainchild of San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt and longtime Charlotte Country Day baseball Coach Ed Walton, Baseball For Life is an organization focused on harnessing the collective breadth of the baseball community to enhance the lives of young people. Our mission statement captures the essence of the organization’s goal.
MENTORING PROGRAM
The Baseball for Life Mentor Program is designed to instill the core values of service, stewardship, leadership, and ownership in young men through interactions with Baseball for Life leaders and peer models during baseball and non-baseball focused activities.
FIELD ASSISTANCE
We are lucky to partner with some amazing members of the community who allow us to assist other organizations with field maintenance / rebuild needs.
SUMMER CAMP
Each summer, Baseball For Life offers a free 4-day baseball summer camp. It is instructed by area high school coaches and help led by members of the Baseball For Life peer model program. Visit our Public Events page for more info on this year’s camp.
HOT STOVE TALKS
Baseball For Life is proud to bring the Charlotte baseball community each off-season. We bring in some of the best people in the game to an informal talk benefiting all levels of baseball coaches.
Ed Walton
Co-Founder
Mentoring Program.
The Baseball for Life Mentor Program is designed to instill the core values of service, stewardship, leadership, and ownership in young men through interactions with Baseball for Life leaders and peer models during baseball and non-baseball focused activities. The program is comprised of a variety of events (see listing of events below) that build relationships within the group between participants and leaders and allow for the development of skills that will help participants prepare for successful futures.
Summer Camp!
Each year Baseball For Life offers a FREE 4-Day Clinic for players entering 5th-8th Grades.
Topics Covered will include: Infield & Outfield play, Catching Skills, Bunting and Hitting Drills, Pitching Skills, Throwing Mechanics, Proper Stretching & Conditioning, Daily Leadership & Sportsmanship Discussions.
Diamonds In The Rough.
Baseball For Life is committed to helping to make a difference in the ball fields in our community. To this point, we have been able to impact multiple school programs with the initiative to make their playing conditions more consistent and safe.
Starting from “scratch” to provide a true home field is an exciting project. Along with volunteers, we are always looking for in-kind donations.
500+
families have attended events
Over the course of the program, we have made an impact on over 500 young adults. It may have come as a full-time member of the program, or we have some players that due to time constraints, only attend our yearly summer camp.
35+
young adults active in program
We have over 35 players active within the program on a full-year basis. We maintain a manageable number of players in ratio to our coaches. We are always looking for more coaches so we can add additional young adults to the program.
20+
years serving the community
Baseball For Life roots date back to 1999 when the very first summer camp was held for local area youth under the guidance of Coach Ed Walton and Coach Mike Shildt.
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Chick-fil-A has partnered with Baseball for Life for the last several years to help feed hundreds of summer campers. We are excited about the experience these young men are getting not only as it pertains to baseball but more importantly the life skills they are being taught.
Terry Shelton / Chick-fil-A Carolina Pavilion
Get Involved
Baseball For Life is a volunteer-based organization. If you are looking to get involved, there are multiple ways for you to support the program. If you know of a player who would be interested in the program, you can nominate a player, or if you are looking to volunteer (single event/full time), or you can make a one-time or monthly donation that will allow us to continue our mission of serving the youth in the community.
NOMINATE A PLAYER
Do you know a player that would benefit from joining the program? If so, you can learn more about what the expectations are for the players and fill out a form. We typically add new players into the program prior to the start of the kick-off event in November of each year.
Volunteer opportunities
To continue to service more young adults, Baseball For Life is always looking for quality “Coaches” to add to our program.
If you would like to learn more about what is asked of people looking to get involved and continue to drive Baseball For Life forward:
Make a Donation
Baseball For Life is a non-profit organization that is entirely dependent on contributions from both individuals and corporate partners.
