MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

After my career as a baseball player had seemingly ended and my lifelong love and passion was in the rearview mirror, I searched long and hard for direction. I packed my bags in New Mexico, and returned to my hometown of Chardon, OH- the place where I fell in love with the game of baseball. I took a drive over to a local field where I had played in my first little league All-Star game. I remembered the thrill of that night under the lights, the feeling that we all look back on and long for those summer nights when all is right with the world. I came back to this field, now as a 23 year old, longing for those nights again. Only now, the field was in shambles. Patches of grass scattered across the infield dirt, fences rusting and falling down, sloping ground throughout the field. I then realized, that in my hometown where I played and learned this amazing game, there was no longer any decent place for our youth to play ball. This inspired me to create Diamonds In The Rough, an organization that partners with local government, businesses and the community to transform neglected baseball fields into state of the art ballparks. Too many communities now lack adequate playing surfaces for local teams. I believe that everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to a quality ballpark that the community can be proud of. The game of baseball has been the love of my life and I want to share that love in your community.

"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona."

For the love of the game,
Jonah Schulz