KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy has helped build and empower children since 2018 by teaching them baseball and softball fundamentals.
The Academy estimates the world of youth sports has turned into a nearly $20 billion dollar industry, and their goal is to help bridge that financial gap by offering programs free of charge while also giving children a priceless experience.
“Life is is not about baseball but baseball is about life, and so it gives you an opportunity to grow as an individual,” said Darwin Pennye, Special Assignment Scout at UYA.
Thousands of children call UYA home. Their programs help kids tune their batting skills and sharpen up their knowledge of the game.
“I’m getting better and better and better every single time I come here, and I like it and it's like very fun,” said UYA player Dylan Matthew Johnson.
However, life is full of curveballs and Urban Youth Academy prides itself in teaching kids how to hit each one out of the park.
“I believe that through sport you're going to find out what you're really called to do in life because only 1% are going to make a career in sport on the field,” Pennye said.
Pennye explained the academy also serves as a second family for children across Kansas City, with many making lifelong friends and obtaining jobs at the academy as they get older.
“I’ve made a lot of friendships since I’ve been here. I grew up on baseball. My whole family kind of played baseball. My grandfather played baseball. My dad played baseball. My brother plays baseball and I play baseball, so it's like a family hand-me-down,” Elijah Smith said.
The Kansas City Royals are the Academy’s biggest donor and thanks to them and other donors, the programs are free of charge, ensuring everyone has a fair chance at playing the game.
“Some kids need a little bit of fine-tuning, some kids just want to come and be a part of something, and so we try to provide that resource,” Pennye said.
