Ukraine Little League (LL) Baseball (since 1995) and Orphanage Project (since 2003)
Proudly announces:
September 26 - 28, 2008 - The First Ever Little League Baseball Championship, in the world for children (ages 11-12) from orphanages was held at school 104 in Kyiv, Ukraine. All-star teams from four orphanages: Sieverodonetsk and Lutuhyne, (Lugansk Obl); Mizoch (Rivne Obl); and Kremenets, (Ternopil Obl), were invited to compete for first ever Little League Baseball Championships for orphans. Championship game results on September 28, 2008 Lutuhyne orphanage 12 - Kremenets orphanage 8. The Lutuhyne orphanage wins the first Ukraine Little League Baseball Championships for children from orphanages. Lead Sponsor for this Championship was the Kyiv Lions Club.Thank you so much for being there for the children. Other contributors: Thank you all from the children that you helped.
Hertz - Ukraine Auto - Rental, Official Sponsor of the Ukraine LL Baseball Program The Self Reliance(NY) Federal Credit Union Ukrainian Congress Committee of America ( UCCA) - Philadelphia Branch Kraft Foods - Ukraine Spring Klein Baseball Program Liddle Family, Chad and mom McQuillin Family, Tim, Amy, Mark and Kathy Leskiw Family, Roman, Stacey and Anne Kerry Tarasko Family, Basil, Alexandra, Andrei and Michael Weissman Family, Harold and Linda Lupacchino Family, Frank and Deanna Oksana Khlivnyuk, ADA Ukraine Little League Glen Willard, The Ukrainian Observer Charles Cristolon, ADA Ukraine Little League Emily Rivers, Eastern Region Little League Little League Baseball INC Gregoriyy Greshetsky, ADA Ukraine Little League Vitaliy Lizogubenko, Ukraine Ministry of Sports Oleh Boyko, ADA Ukraine LIttle League Anatoliy Sakhno, United States Peace Corps - Ukraine Ukraine Baseball Federation Lufthansa Airlines
Ukraine Little League Baseball & Orphanage Project Proudly announces the 9th Annual Ukraine LL Baseball Championships for children ages 11 and 12.
Site: Illichivsk, Ukraine (near Odessa) Dates: June 4 - 8, 2008 Winner will represent Ukraine at the EMEA Regional Championships in Kutno, Poland July 31 - August 8, 2008 thanks to HERTZ - UKRAINE, official sponsor.
Tournament Director: Basil P. Tarasko, District Administrator - Ukraine (1995) All star teams from 10 registered Little Leagues will be invited to compete for the Championships.
Children will come from from well to do areas as in Kyiv, the capital; from depressed areas in Symferopil, Crimea; from Kirovograd, the center of baseball in Ukraine; from Donetsk, some of the children could be orphans; and for the first time children from Altynivska, a town of 1200 people with one school and a dream to see the Black Sea for the first time in their young life. All the children will be living literally 50 feet from the sea.
All these kids will be the best of each league not only on the field but in life. All children chosen to play have to do well in school, behave, respect their teachers and coaches , try their best, cooperate, and work well with others. All these skills needed for success in life are found in playing baseball.
I expect up to 120 kids, 12 per team plus two coaches for each team to arrive on the 4th of June.
Needed financial help:
1. To help pay for housing costs for four nights. $8 per night per child. So a team of 12 plus 2 coaches costs $ 448 for housing per team.
2. To help pay for three meals a day will cost $6 per child. Or $ 336 per team for four days.
Teams are required to pay for their own transportation costs. They have all year to raise the necessary funds.
What ever financial help can be provided to help these boys and girls realize this dream to represent their city or town at a Ukraine National Championships would be greatly appreciated by each and every child. Just to know that some one out there cares about them may help turn a child around in life. They will realize that hard work and dedication can earn them a trip to a new city and to see the Black Sea at least once in their life.
Thank you.
Feel free to contact me: Basil P. Tarasko 36 - 46 212th St. Bayside, NY 11361 718-415-7821 cell e mail: bt4ukraine@aol.com
Trip #49 to Ukraine - February 27 - March 19, 2008
By Basil (Vasyl) P. Tarasko, District Administrator of the Little League Baseball Program in Ukraine since 1995.
Please note that much of funding for all the following activities were
paid for by Basil P. Tarasko and Harold Weissman personally. In
addition, formal LL activities were paid by the money raised by Basil
P. Tarasko during 2007.
We are always looking for sponsors in order to do more for the children
in Ukraine. Care to help? Call me at 718-415-7821 or via email at bt4ukraine@aol.com. Thank you.
Feb 28: Meeting with Vitaliy Lizogubenko,
Ministry of Sports Baseball Trainer and presented a plaque to the
Ministry for their sponsorship of Little League Baseball in 2007. This
sponsorship will continue in 2008.
Feb 29: Pick up vehicle donated by Hertz - Ukraine,
official sponsor of the Ukraine Little League Baseball program.
Purpose: use to visit existed LL programs and to visit new schools and
orphanages looking to add a LL baseball and / or softball-program
Feb 29: Met with the members of the Kyiv Lions Club,
subject: sponsorship of the Ukraine Little League Baseball - Orphanage
Project. Thanks to Tim McQuillin, ADA - Ukraine Corporate Relations for
setting up this important meeting.
March 1: Drove to Dudarkiv, a small village outside Kyiv where children play baseball.
March 2: Drove to Kirovograd to meet with Oleh Boyko,
baseball coach in the Kirovograd LL program and other LL officials.
The Kirovograd LL is the largest in Ukraine. Met with parents of the
Junior team whose boys traveled to Taylor, MI USA last summer to
compete at the Junior World Series. Each parent received $100 back from
Little League for the visa fee paid by their child to enter the US.
Thanks to Little League officials in Williamsport, PA USA for their support.
March 3: Drove to Kherson Oblast to visit an orphanage in Nova Koholka and in Tavria. Both Directors expressed interest in joining the LL family.
March 5: Back in Kyiv. Meeting with Anatoliy Sakhno,
Youth Development Specialist for Peace Corps Ukraine to discuss spread
of Little League baseball development among the volunteers from the US.
March 5: Meeting with Mr. Robert Speelman,
CEO of Hertz - Ukraine and presented him with a plague thanking Hertz -
Ukraine for their sponsorship of Ukraine LL in 2007. This valuable
sponsorship will continue in 2008
March 6: Drove to Rivne where Dima Sudimak, baseball coach form the Rivne LL helped us. Visited an orphanage in Mizoch
where there is a desire to join the LL baseball family. Warmly greeted
by the Director. Had the pleasure to eat lunch with the orphans. Of
course, borsht and varenyku where served. Mizoch is located very close
to Derman II where my mother was born. I felt at home at this warm and
caring orphanage.
March 7: Visited two more orphanages whose directors wanted to offer their youngsters a baseball program. Drove to Tulchin and Oleksandriya, both in the Riven Oblast (state).
March 8: Attended an indoor LL baseball practice in Rivne.
March 9: Drove to Ostroh and moved into living quarters at the Ostroh University, till 3/16. Met with Gennady Stadnikov, Head of the Phys - Ed Department at the University
March 10: Drove to Kremenets, a city in Ternopil Oblast to an orphanage recommended by John Kark
of San Diego CA. Yes, recommendations are welcome. The Director boasted
of the proud traditions of sports at his orphanage, Now its time to add
LL baseball to the program. This will be the first baseball program of its kind ever in the Ternopil Oblast. Welcome children.
March 10: Drove to Lviv to meet with Eugen Prystupa, Rector of the Lviv University for Physical Education. This University was recommended by Roman Pyndus,
secretary of the Ukrainian Sports Federation in the US & Canada
(USCAK) to add a softball program for the women of the University. We
still take recommendations on all levels.
March 10: Met with Tim Miler, President of the Lviv LL to discuss growth of LL baseball in Lviv.
March 11: Met with Lviv University students and
interested faculty members to present a softball demonstration.
Greeted warmly. A women's softball program will start here in the
future.
March 12: Drove to Lutsk, Volyn Oblast to meet with Peace Corps Volunteers
who last year received a grant to build a softball field at a Lyceum
in Vyshkiv. This field is nearly completed. With us was Glen Willard, of the Ukrainian Observer,
and Press Attache for Ukraine LL. Thanks to James Mosher, Peace Corps
Volunteer and his predecessors for obtaining the grant. Thanks to
Maria Tarasyuk, Director of the Lyceum for hosting us. We met at the
day of her birthday. Flowers, smiles, hugs and kisses and of course
good food was everywhere. Thanks.
March 12:
An agreement was reached to have the first ever Ukrainian LL Softball
Championship for girls ages 14 - 18 held at the Lyceum June 19 - 22,
2008. All registered LL softball programs will be invited to compete
for this first ever Ukraine softball title.
March 13:Meeting with Rector Ihor Pashichnyk of the Ostroh University. Learned about the rich history of the Academy and its amazing rebirth a mere 12 years ago, A truly inspirational story.
I established a woman's softball program at the University in 07.
Proud to say that girls are now playing softball there and an Ostroh
softball team has been formed.
Had the wonderful opportunity to speak in English to students
interested to hear why three americans were at the Academy. Joining me
at this conference were Glen Willard and Harold Weissman, District
Administrator of the LL Program in New York District 27. What a great
and bright group of future leaders of Ukraine who sat there and
listened and asked thoughtful questions. We were proud and honored to
be there.
March 14:Held the second annual Ukraine Little League Presidents
meeting at the Ostroh Academy. LL Presidents and or representatives
from Ostroh, Lutsk, Lviv, Illichivsk, Altinivska, Kirovograd, Nove Celo
and Rivne attended this meeting reviewing the 2007 LL year and
outlining Championship plans for 2008.
Presenting for Ukraine LL
were Basil P. Tarasko, District Administrator for Ukraine (1995);
Harold Weissman, Assistant District Administrator (ADA) Ukraine - USA
Relations; Vitaliy Lizogubenko, ADA Ukraine - General Matters; Oleh
Boyko ADA - Baseball; Oksana Sydorenko - ADA Softball; Anatoliy Sakhno,
ADA Peace Corps Partnership; Oksana Khlivnyuk, ADA - Internats
(orphanages). Thank you all for your time and dedication to help the
children of Ukraine. All of these fine individuals are volunteers.
Thanks again to Gennady Stadnikov and the other kind people at the
University for all the arrangements to make our meeting a special one.
March 15 - 16: Conducted the 4th Ukraine Little League Baseball &
Softball Clinic for new and inexperienced coaches at the Ostroh
University Gym and Ostroh Military Lyceum Gym. Seventeen new coaches
attended and participated in a action packed weekend of theory,
demonstrations, drills and games. Clinicians were Basil P. Tarasko,
Associate Scout for the San Diego Padres; Vitaliy Lizogubenko, Ukraine
Ministry of Sports; Oleh Boyko, Coach National Baseball Team of Ukraine
and Oksana Sydorenko, Softball Coach - Kirovograd LL. Ably assisted us
were Harold Weissman, Softball Coach - USA and Chad Liddle, former
College Baseball Player Houston, Texas USA. Thank you all for helping
our new coaches.
Among the coaches were:
Peace Corps volunteers from the Kharkiv and Lugansk Oblast, both new LL programs.
Coaches from the Lyiv and Ostroh Universities who are starting softball programs on their campuses.
New LL coaches from the Lviv and Rivne LLs.
And, coaches representing four orphanages (internats) who are starting
a new sport for their kids. Coaches from Mizoch, Tychin, and
Oleksandriya (Rivne Oblast) and from Kremenets (Ternopil Oblast).
March 16: Returned to Kyiv.
March 17: St. Patricks Day. Met with Jim Hitch, President of the
American Chamber of Commerce, John Yancura of FINCA and Tim McQuillin
to discuss and plan sponsorship presentations.
March 18: Meeting with Olena Matsibokh, Chairwoman of CROWN Charitable
Foundation in Ukraine and Tim McQuillin to seek support for the planned
for the first ever in the world baseball Championships for children
from orphanages. Planned dates are September 25 - 28, 2008. Site to be
determined.
Need more information, or to add your comments or suggestions and of course offers of financial help? Please contact me at bt4ukraine@aol.com. Also please visit us at www.ukrainebaseball.org.