September 2 - After Hurricane Harvey ravished areas of Texas, the Stars 10u organization rallied together to help those affected by starting an initiative to restore little league baseball in Houston.    

Harvey was the most catastrophic natural disaster in Texas’ history, with the total devastation estimated around $160 billion. A number of sports icons and franchises have started fundraisers of their own to support the relief effort in Houston, most notably with Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt raising over $30 million and the Houston Astros starting the ‘Houston Strong’ campaign.

The Stars joined the effort, starting an initiative called ‘Bring Back Houston’s Field of Dreams’ that specifically raised money to help kids their age get back on the field and playing the game they love.

“These kids are very fortunate to play on the facilities they have to play on and we always want them to be socially conscious,” Stars’ coach Brett Majkowski said. “There were a lot of great causes to support but we wanted to get something that the kids connected with and baseball is what we have in common.”

The Stars’ campaign started small with a goal of $1,000. They have since raised the goal four times and have now raised over $4,500, which included nearly $900 in donations collected by the team going door-to-door in the community.

“Once we had that conversation after practice, they all were excited and they all were knocking on doors,” said Majkowski said. “It was a true sense of a team effort from the part of starting it and everyone jumping onboard and running with it.”

“It’s nice to represent to Stars and come together as a team,” said Owen Picarillo. “It feels good helping those kids get back on the field so they can play baseball again.”

All the funds generated will go directly to support the little leagues of District 25 in Houston. The money will help repair facilities to playable condition as well as replace baseball equipment that was ruined by Harvey.

“We wanted to raise money because we realize how fortunate we are and down in Houston they aren’t right now,” said Brett Majkowski. “We also bonded as a team.”

“We heard from the president of the league and he was very appreciative of our efforts and thanked us for thinking of them,” said coach Majkowski. “I am very proud of these kids for stepping up and helping kids that are less fortunate than them.”

“It feels good knowing they will be able to play again some time soon, just like us,” said Michael Cumberledge.

If you would like to donate to the Stars’ ‘Bring Back Houston’s Field of Dreams,’ visit loudounstars.org and follow the link to the team’s YouCaring fundraiser. You can also follow the link here to donate.