Winchester Royals to Support Homeless Programs July 20, 22 and 23 at Bridgeforth Stadium

“I asked my friend Brian Burke, General Manager of the Winchester Royals, if Winchester Area Temporary Transitional Shelter (WATTS) representatives could attend a game at Bridgeforth Stadium in Jim Barnett Park to set up, and collect snack items and drink donations in support of our Cooling Center.  Brian offered us three games to bring our volunteers and collect donations,” said Mike Ashby, President-WATTS.

The Winchester Royals are a storied baseball team that competes in the highly regarded Valley Baseball League, a summer collegiate wooden bat league consisting of 12 teams in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.  The Valley Baseball League is endorsed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and sponsored in part by a donation from Major League Baseball, making it one of the premier summer leagues in the country.

The designated games are as follows:

• New Market Rebels-Royals, Thu, Jul 20, 7:00 PM, Jim Barnett Park
• Waynesboro Generals-Royals, Sat, Jul 22, 7:00 PM, Jim Barnett Park
• Charlottesville Tom Sox-Royals, Sun, Jul 23, 7:00 PM, Jim Barnett Park

WATTS volunteers will be located inside the stadium gate collecting items such as bottled water, Gatorade, coffee, creamer, sweeteners, lemonade mix, sweet/unsweet tea, and non-perishable individual snack items.  WATTS will also have a bucket for donations, if anyone forgets to bring an item and would like to donate to this important cause.  “These three games should provide WATTS with a tremendous kick-off for our Cooling Center as we will bond with the good people of our community in a way that we have not been able to in the past,” Ashby said.

WATTS volunteers plan to strike up conversations with the Winchester Royals patrons to inform them about all the great opportunities their programs offer.  Expectations are that WATTS can potentially recruit a few volunteers, donors, and corporate sponsors for their fundraisers.

Donations received at the WATTS Cooling Center in August 2022. Photo courtesy Jacque Longerbeam.

This summer, the Cooling Center will operate from July 10 through September 1 and is open during the afternoon every day.  Operating out of Market Street UMC (131 S. Cameron Street, Winchester), and accessed from the Cork Street side, the Cooling Center gives homeless individuals a safe, air-conditioned place to rest for a few minutes or a few hours to help cool off from the heat.  WATTS offers snacks and refreshing drinks daily, thanks to donations provided by the community, and the volunteers who serve lunch on various days.

“We are so very grateful to Brian and the Royals organization for connecting with WATTS on this significant project.  They are certainly great community partners,” Ashby concluded.