By Rita Howell

A $14,000 grant has been awarded to the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Mississippi by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.

The award comes at a time when the club, which operates at three sites in Panola County, is suffering from cutbacks in its traditional funding sources.

The grant will provide the Badges for Baseball program for 200 local youths, according to Belinda Morris, executive director of the local clubs.

A stipulation of the award is that local law enforcement officers serve as coaches and mentors for the children enrolled in the program.

Morris met with a group of volunteer coaches on Wednesday to familiarize them with the program.

The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, created Badges for Baseball as a crime prevention program designed to bring law enforcement professionals together with young people to play and learn in a safe, fun and engaging program. Participants will learn the basics of baseball and softball while also taking part in the foundation’s character development program, “Healthy Choices, Healthy Children.”

“The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation is thrilled to have the opportunity to team with Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Mississippi to provide this innovative mentoring opportunity to help youth find a path to positive, productive citizenship,” said Steve Salem, executive director of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.

The Foundation is partnering with the Mississippi Department of Human Services to provide the program.

Included in the grant is funding for three local children to attend the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation Summer Camp in Maryland in June.

The local Boys & Girls Club was formed in 1999 and serves about 350 Panola County children through its after-school program.

The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation uses baseball-themed programs to help build character and teach life lessons to disadvantaged youth. The organization was founded in 2001 by members of the Ripken family in memory of their patriarch who was a player, coach and manager in the Baltimore Orioles organization for 36 years.