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Baseball season is here, and as kids across Detroit take the field to learn the basics of the game, they’ll also learn important teamwork skills that will last a lifetime.  

The Tiny Tigers program offers Detroit’s young athletes a place to make friends and memories alongside volunteers, mentors and dedicated community leaders.

The eight-week program is a collaboration between the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities, and Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL) – with girls and boys age 4-8 taking part in team practices and weekly games at The Corner Ballpark, the site of the old Tiger Stadium.

More than 300 kids learn the sport annually as part of PAL’s Team UP program, in which officers from the Detroit Police Department act as mentors and coaches to the kids.

Detroit PAL, a non-profit organization based in Corktown, impacts more than 14,000 Detroit area children each year through its sports and recreational camps and after-school activities with the help of more than 1,700 volunteers. Founded in 1969, the organization gives children an opportunity to learn skills needed to succeed both on and off the playing field.

The Detroit Tigers Foundation provides an annual grant to support the Tiny Tigers program, which has supported more than 2,000 young, aspiring players to date.

In addition to Tiny Tigers, the Detroit Tigers Foundation invests in youth baseball programs throughout the greater Detroit community – through baseball field renovation projects, youth summer camps and baseball equipment donations – that promote the good citizenship embodied in the storied history of the Detroit Tigers.

The foundation also joins the Detroit Tigers to host the annual Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan, which visits schools, first responders, community groups, museums and civic events throughout the state while focusing on some of our most important fans: kids in the community.