BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Pictured from left front row are Spencer Crowder, 6; Tommy Crowder, 9; Timothy Crowder, 8; and Madison Crowder, 4. Back row from left are Travis Crowder and Tim Crowder. Travis is the chief professional officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley and Tim is organizing TC's Clubhouse's first annual Big League Skills & Drills Clinic, a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada.
A Carson City man who is in the sports memorabilia business is organizing a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada pay for its new facilities.
"A lot of these beautiful kids have been let down in life, and make the club a second home," said Tim Crowder, owner of TC's Clubhouse.
Crowder, 31, is lining up professional baseball players to participate in a Skills and Drills Clinic on Jan. 6 for up to 200 youths ages 8 to 17. It will be held at The Stadium Sports & Fitness Club, 9393 Gateway Dr. in Reno, and cost is $75 per youth.
Nearly a dozen professional players are scheduled to be there, including Darrell Rasner of the New York Yankees and his cousin Jake Rasner of the Chicago White Sox, both from Carson City; and Steve Lerud of the Pittsburgh Pirates, from Galena.
Crowder, the father of two, has been working tirelessly on making the event a success because he owes the Boys & Girls Club for helping him become a responsible adult.
His parents divorced when he was young, and his father worked three jobs to make ends meet. This left him ample unsupervised time to "get in trouble," he said.
The turning point came after he was arrested at age 13 for breaking into a neighbor's home and stealing video games - and act for which he was sentenced to community service. Soon after, he was brought to the local Boys & Girls Club, where he discovered baseball.
"It changed my life," he said.
The club's athletic field was Crowder's most treasured hangout, and his focus is to ensure the new field is in proper shape for use by the kids. But he also learned a variety of life skills and lessons at the club.
And, he said, "I realized my dad worked hard to raise me and my brother."
"(The club) takes stress off of working parents and provides innocent kids the help they need to face life," Crowder said. "It's the greatest organization."
Tickets for the clinic are on sale at the Boys & Girls Club and Bully's Sports Bar & Grill. The kids will receive plenty of one-on-one time with the participating pros and learn how to improve "all aspects of their games," he said.
The Boys & Girls Club is seeking approximately $500,000 in donations for its new building and athletic field. The target relocation date is spring or summer to the new headquarters at Russell Way and Northridge Drive, said Hal Hansen, the club's chief professional officer. The club currently leases property from the state in the 600 block of South Stewart Street.
Crowder's brother, Travis, is the chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club in Yerington.
Because so many adults are interested in meeting the players, Crowder added a "Meet and Greet" on Jan. 7 at the Plaza Hotel.
Scheduled to speak is George Foster, former outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds and winner of the 1977 Most Valuable Player Award. There will be auctions and a photographer to take pictures of fans posing with the players. The cost is $50.
For details about both baseball events, call 250-1987.
For more information about the clinic, visit www.clubhouseequipment.com.
• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.
Information
• For details about the baseball clinic, including what participating youths need to bring and which professional baseball players are scheduled to participate, visit www.clubhouseequipment.com.
• For details about the clinic and separate "Meet and Greet" event, call Tim Crowder at 250-1987.