Banner hung in St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School. (rdnewsNOW/ Jordan Rein)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School

Red Deer middle school joins transformative ‘Jays Care Challenger Baseball’ program

Apr 8, 2024 | 2:29 PM

Red Deer’s newest school, St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School, is joining the Jays Care Foundation’s Challenger Baseball program.

The initiative, a branch of the Toronto Blue Jays, is designed to bring the joy and benefits of baseball to children, youth, and adults living with physical and/or cognitive disabilities.

An opening ceremony was held Monday at the school, with the hanging of a special banner.

“We are eagerly anticipating this new chapter for our students at St. Lorenzo, marking the beginning of what promises to be a fruitful partnership with the Jays Care Foundation,” said Joel Peterman, St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School Vice-Principal.

As the students filled gymnasium with signage, Peterman said the energy in the room showed the program’s benefit of celebrating all students equally.

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School officials said that thanks to the generous donation of equipment from the Jays Care Foundation, students in St. Lorenzo’s Foundation/Blended Program will have the opportunity to engage in adaptive baseball and softball. These sports are not just about physical activity; they are a means to teach important life skills such as teamwork, communication, determination, resiliency, inclusion, support, and courage, they said in a release.

Peterman also added, “because we’re a brand new building, this is something that we wanted to start the first year of our school building off and it also fits our demographic so well.”

The middle school opened in August 2023.

Ten students from the St. Joseph High School Ball Academy are also set to join the program, beginning late April, and will aid in skill development weekly.

Jason Chatwood, Lead Instructor for the program, said students from their high school program will come to the middle school to work with students in small groups.

The Challenger Baseball Program is a collaboration between Jays Care Foundation, Little League Canada, and Baseball Canada, and helps participants become more independent, gain confidence, improve communication skills, and set and achieve personal goals.

In 2023, 9,800 kids took part in 289 locations across Canada.

Joel Peterman, St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School Vice-Principal (rdnewsNOW/Jordan Rein)

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