Page 54 - August 2018

PD fficers once aain coachin nleood Police outh aseall eaue
n BY DAN CAMPANA
With current and retired Chicago Po- lice Officers serving as coaches, the En- glewood Police Youth Baseball League held its 2018 opening day on July 5 at Hamilton Park.
The league entered its fourth season with 100 boys and girls signed up to practice and play twice a week through- out the summer, as part of an ongoing effort to build a relationship between the officers in 007 and the Englewood community, as well as to keep players away from gangs and violence.
Marco Johnson, a retired CPD officer and current league commissioner, said that beyond the pitching, hitting and fielding, the EPYBL provides mentor- ing, teaches life skills and offers field trips to help broaden the cultural hori- zons of the youngsters who participate.
“I look forward to the season every summer,” said Johnson. “We work hard
to improve our players’ attitudes and conflict resolution knowledge so that we can stop the violence. If we work in collaboration, we can get it done.”
The league has six teams this season, each named for either a Negro League team or recent African-American lead-
is er: Barons, DuSables, Tigers, Monarchs, th
s For more information about the
cl m o
Washingtons and Sawyers.
Englewood Police Youth Baseball League, visit www.epybleague.com or teamworkenglewood.com/calendar. d
54 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2018
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