Mission accomplished for LT baseball alumnus

Every mitt, baseball, bat and helmet is going to good use and Little League is up and running once again in Panama, thanks in large part to Lyons Township High School 2011 graduate Thomas Brannen.

In just two months, Brannen collected enough equipment to restart a league and spread his love of baseball with the children of Chiriqui, Panama. As a member of the United States Peace Corps, English teacher and leadership/life-skills volunteer, he is helping hundreds of kids with self-esteem and long term goal setting through sports.

He was charged with the goal of restarting a league. Brannen said, “Baseball is incredibly popular in Panama, but requires a lot of resources. In a small community in Panama in the province of Chiriquí, a lapse in government funding caused the local baseball league to disappear. However, there has been a resurgence of interest with requests from town mayors and government officials to teach kids the fundamentals of baseball and to start up the league again.”

While back in the U.S. on a holiday leave, he sought new and gently used equipment from LT and others. The response was overwhelming with nearly 20 duffel bags of equipment - enough to outfit several teams.