As part of its ongoing efforts to break down barriers and create more opportunity for children to play Little League, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter Program has awarded East Hardy County Little League out of Baker, West Virginia, with a $25,000 Sports Matter Grant.
“At Little League, we know the impact a strong local program can have on children, their families, and the community that supports them each season. We are incredibly grateful to The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation for recognizing and supporting the work already being done at East Hardy County Little League,” said Liz DiLullo Brown, Little League Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Business Relationship Officer. “This investment will help East Hardy County create more opportunities for children in its community to get on the field and have a Little League experience.”
The grant was presented to East Hardy County Little League as a surprise during the 2026 Little League Baseball® World Series, Presented by T-Mobile, as part of both DICK’S Sporting Goods and Little League’s celebration of “Sports Matter Monday” on August 24.
“The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation is proud to support organizations like East Hardy County Little League that are creating more opportunities for kids to experience the power of sport,” said Rick Jordan, Vice President, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation. “We’re honored to invest in their continued efforts to make Little League more accessible to the children and families in their community.”
First chartered with Little League in 1980, East Hardy County Little League has made intentional efforts in recent years to make significant improvements to its facilities, with volunteers and community members contributing their time, equipment, and areas of expertise. Each enhancement is not just an investment in the facility, but in the children on the field, the families in the stands, and the volunteers stepping up to the plate.
“Grateful, blessed, and appreciative. All the volunteers, the coaches and the help that we get behind the scenes that you might not see on a Saturday or Tuesday night — that is what Little League means to me,” said Casey Dunithan, East Hardy County Little League President. “I say it all the time: it’s bigger than the game. We want the kids to learn work ethic. We want them to learn what a culture is, what a team is, and what a safe setting is. Little League is their safe space.”
The intentional efforts go beyond the field, focusing on the development and growth of programs to provide more opportunity for kids throughout the Baker community. Most recently, the board has focused on growing its Little League Softball® program, including the start of a Coach Pitch Division. Now they turn their attention to their next big project – building an indoor batting facility that will give their Little Leaguers the chance to play year-round.
“Receiving this grant means a lot, because we can put it back into the kids, back into the community, and continue to make improvements throughout our facility for safety reasons, for field maintenance, equipment, whatever we may need. All I could think when the grant was announced was ‘don’t cry.’ The whole experience was awesome,” said Dunithan.
The $25,000 grant presented to East Hardy County Little League comes in addition to the $25,000 grant issued earlier this month to Twin Rivers Little League at the 2026 Little League Softball® World Series, Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, totaling $50,000 in grant funding to programs within the Little League program.
In 2017, DICK’S Sporting Goods partnered with Little League for a five-year $500,000 commitment, and since becoming the Official Sporting Goods Retailer of Little League, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation has provided grants and supported programs for hundreds of leagues since the inception of the foundation a decade ago.