While Banana Ball is a fun spin on baseball that leaves many happy, it is so much bigger than just the game–it’s also about using the platform the organization has to give back.
On July 1, the Bananas and the Party Animals players wore special jerseys with the last names on the back of those who have served. Those jerseys were auctioned off, and proceeds went to Folds of Honor. This nonprofit provides scholarships to the families of fallen military members or members who became disabled during their time in the United States Armed Forces.
As if that wasn’t enough, in cities where they can get the opportunity, players and staff for the Bananas and the Party Animals will take a morning to visit children’s hospitals and spend time with kids there.
“It’s important to go into those hospitals in the different cities because it makes an impact on kids’ lives; some of them aren’t doing well, and to just put a smile on their face every day, it’s like kids here at the ballpark, putting a smile on their face every day is why we do this. We have the greatest show in sports,” Meadows said.
In June, Mauldin said that they were able to play a Banana Ball game with some of the kids from the hospital they visited.
“It was beautiful. We got to meet all the families, we got to play with them, and we had it set up so that all the kids got to hit a home run, basically. It was so cool, and that was really special. We got to hear a bunch of crazy stories, like, one of the kids was seventeen years old, and he was working out one day, completely healthy, body function was great, and had an incident in the weight room. He got up, fainted, woke up, called 911, they came and got him, and he hasn’t been the same since; he is in a wheelchair and can’t comprehend anything, so stuff like that, it’s kind of life-changing because every time we get to go, you hear these stories,” Mauldin said. “We’re all the same, no matter what we do or who we are, we all want to be loved, we all want to be cared for, we’re all more of the same than we are different in real life and as a human race, and that’s really cool, just going to these things, we all see that, and it’s just really special, it’ll bring a tear to your eye doing those things, and it’s awesome. When you are there, you’re just like, ‘I wish I could stay here all day long,’ and you get to meet the kids, and they get to meet you, and you get to know them a little better, and it is really special. Any chance that we get, we go. Every time we go, it is life-changing. It’s unreal the fact that we get to do this and make a difference here on the field and also make a difference there and all of these other places. It’s quite a blessing, it’s unreal, and it’s the best job ever.”
“To be able to go into the hospitals, it’s amazing; I mean, we are changing kids’ lives, we’re changing parents’ lives, we’re changing grandparents’ lives like we’re changing and making the game of baseball not just a game anymore, it’s actually fun,” Chapman said.
On a trip to Smile-A-Mile in Alabama, Bridges took it upon himself to do a little extra to help kids in need go to summer camp with a fundraiser on his Instagram page.
“So when I did that little fundraiser, there was a cool picture I saw in their hospital, and I put it on my Instagram story, and I tagged them. It gave me the option to add the fundraiser to my page, and it was like 500 dollars to send one kid to summer camp for the week, and I think we’re at 1200 dollars. So families that can’t really afford to send their kid and they want to, we covered it, and that means the world to me,” Bridges said. “To go into the hospitals in different cities, it’s hard to wrap your head around because I see myself as just a normal guy, but to those kids, you can make their whole week or month. The organization that we are a part of, everybody that is here has such a big heart, and the way they hire people is unbelievable because everybody just wants to make a difference for the most unselfish reason ever.”
On top of all the other great things they do, on June 20, Jesse and Emily Cole released an official statement on the Savannah Banana’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages, announcing the creation of Bananas Foster, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit of the Savannah Bananas.
At each game since Bananas Foster’s conception, Jesse Cole and his wife, Emily Cole, have brought a foster family from the area onto the field and recognized them for all they are doing to help children in the foster care system.
At the end of the day, this one “small” exhibition team and all of the people behind the scenes of the Savannah Bananas are looking to grow a new take on baseball that creates an entertaining and engaging evening for all those in attendance and to make a difference in all of the lives they touch along the way, both on and off the field.
Writer’s comments
I know this has nothing to do with Bucyrus, Galion, Crestline, or anything remotely Crawford County related, so if you’ve read all three parts and/or gone through my photo gallery from their game in Akron, thank you!
If you’re like me, then one day, a random video of a bunch of baseball players wearing yellow and doing random dances popped up on your phone, and then pretty soon your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter accounts were flooded with these guys. For months now, I’d say that pretty much all that shows up on my social media is content from the Bananas, the Party Animals, the players, or some of the staff members.
To have been able to have the opportunity to go to the game and cover it was amazing in and of itself, but what was more so was the feeling I had while being there.
When I was on the field taking pictures before the actual game started, at one point, I just stopped, let my camera down, and slowly turned in a circle to take it all in–I looked up into the stands, and I hardly saw anyone on their phones because everyone was so present and happy and enjoying everything going on around us, and honestly, that amazed me, and it was a little surreal. I’ve been to many games – baseball, football, basketball, what have you – but none had the feeling that this did. To be there in person and to talk to several players, Vincent Chapman, and the man in yellow himself, Jesse Cole (who were all so genuinely down to earth, sweet, and helpful), and then witness what this team, these people, and this organization does on and off the field, it’s hard to not have a sense of appreciation, excitement, and awe for what they do and where they’re going, because I wholeheartedly believe that this is only just the beginning of it all, and I am excited to watch it grow.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these and looking at the pictures as much as I’ve loved every second of being at the game, being around the people who make this all happen, and getting to put this all together to share with people, because out of all the stories and photo galleries I’ve done over my six years with CCN, this has by far been my favorite and the most rewarding.
And with that, welcome to Banana Ball, the greatest show in sports.