PHOTOS BY TRACY BRNUSAK
“The preparation for the equipment drive was pretty simple,” says
Brnusak. “All I did was email a flier to the parents of the players in the
league telling them about Hope Bilingual Academy and Roberto’s
Kids and made a list of the types of items needed. We held the drive
on opening day of the Thomas Jefferson Youth Baseball League and I
was shocked by the response we received. It was truly overwhelming
how much people gave.”
At final count, the drive collected 38 pairs of pants, 22 jerseys, 56
bats, 30 pairs of cleats, 24 gloves, 14 batting/catcher helmets, nine
bat bags, 44 hats, two belts and a lot of baseballs. These totals do not
include equipment donated by the league itself.
The donations overwhelmed Shronce, too. She flew from
Nicaragua to Pittsburgh for the event.
“She hugged every single person who gave something,” says
Brnusak. “She literally had tears in her eyes. It was amazing to see.”
Shronce has a daughter who lives in Millvale so coming to
Pittsburgh was not unusual for her. In addition, it was easier to
transport the donated items back to Nicaragua. She had brought
Kids at Hope Bilingual Academy receiving,
wearing and using the donated items.
empty suitcases and filled them with up to 100 lbs. of equipment. The
Peace Corps brought the rest of the items at a later date.
“Patricia told me she was going to let the children who attend
the school keep one item from the drive as their own, actually take
it home with them,” says Brnusak. “There are close to 70 children
at Hope Bilingual Academy and many don’t have parents, so having
something to keep is very special.”
Brnusak’s pledge to help her son give back was fulfilled and
surpassed all of their expectations. “My husband and parents helped
collect items all day at the equipment drive and we’re ready to do the
same thing again next year. I already know what I’ll do to be more
organized and it’s all worth it when you see the kids from the academy
with their baseball gear. And I know Andy is ready to jump in again
and continue to help kids enjoy playing baseball as much as he does.”
To learn more about Roberto’s Kids, visit robertos-kids.org, and
visit Hope Bilingual Academy on Facebook to learn about the school.
To donate gently used baseball items for next year’s equipment drive,
contact Tracy Brnusak at [email protected]. n
“There are close to 70 children
at Hope Bilingual Academy
and many don’t have parents,
so having something to keep
is very special.”
West Jefferson Hills | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 15