Millcreek Youth Athletic Association (MYAA) - 63 Years & Going Strong

If you grew up in Erie and the surrounding areas, you've probably heard of the Millcreek Youth Athletic Association or MYAA for short. If you're a parent of a child who likes sports, more than likely they've played on an MYAA team. Did you know they've been around for 63 years? They started off with baseball and quickly added softball. Today they have many sports such as basketball...which my son eagerly waits for each year. He loves playing because the teams are formed with equal skills across all teams. There is rarely one team that dominates the season making the games fun and competitive without a lot of pressure and the coaches want to help and develop all kids, not just the "good ones." My son also had his first experience playing lacrosse through MYAA and has now fallen in love with the sport. This program not only provided equipment rental, which is a lifesaver if you've never played a sport before, but gave him the basic stick skills and understanding of the game for him to play successfully on other teams. What you may not know is all the other opportunities there are through MYAA:

• Baseball - From t'ball starting at 5 yrs old through junior ending at 15 yrs
• Riptide Travel Baseball
• Softball - From t'ball starting at 6 yrs old through 16U
• Little League Challenger Division - an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and developmental challenges
• Boys & Girls Basketball - for K through 9th grade
• Boys & Girls Lacrosse - K through 5th grade
• Boys & Girls Cross Country - K through 6th grade
• Flag & Tackle Football - Flag starting in K through 6th grade and Tackle starting in 3rd grade through 6th grad
• Millcreek Swim Team (MIST)

They also organize multiple golf outings through the year and sometimes even an adult kickball league...maybe we could even talk them into a dodgeball league, ok, maybe that's stretching things a bit too far.

Another thing you may not know about MYAA is that it's 100% self-funded. That means no outside funding from school districts, local or state governments. Everything they accomplish is through registration fees and sponsorships. That's pretty impressive if you ask me. So when it comes time for them to expand or take on a larger improvement project they look to the Erie community to find sponsors and partners. One of these opportunities is now. MYAA is looking to expand the Walnut Creek baseball complex. There is land that can be developed into three additional Little League sized fields when once completed will make it a seven field complex that could support 14 teams playing a night. The baseball and softball programs continue to grow with 1000 boys and girls & 90 teams wanting to play. That's a lot of kids who just want to play ball, to hang with their friends, to reach for their dreams. Can you or someone you know help?

If you know my son then you know he doesn't play baseball, so why am I even writing about this? Simple, we need organizations such as MYAA to exist in our community. We need them to thrive and provide a place for children to be children, for them to have a chance to play a sport they love, to try new ones and an opportunity to be part of something larger than just themselves, to be a part of a TEAM. With many schools losing funding for sports programs or for elementary & middle school levels to focus on winning rather than developing, we need organizations like this to thrive. When I was younger I didn't touch a soccer ball until the 5th grade and I made the high school team. If that would have been me today, I would never have made the 5th grade team. So, it doesn't matter that my son doesn't play baseball, MYAA has provided many opportunities for him to play sports in a fun, supportive, developmental environment and if this organization can bring that chance to more kids, then I'm all for it, simple as that.

With that said, if you know of a business or someone that can sponsor or partner with MYAA to make this happen, I would encourage you to share the information below. There are already many, many businesses that sponsor this organization, let's see who else we can send their way and keep making children's dreams come true.

Please contact Kregg Heenan at 814-450-6364 or myaasports@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Join the ever growing list of sponsors:

• Emerald Printing & Imaging
• Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services
• Dick's Sporting Goods
• Erie Sea Wolves
• Bayada Home Health Care
• Colonial Pharmacy
• TSS Photography
• Dobrich Electric & Services
• Father & Son Remodeling
• Bath Fitter of Erie
• Innovative Audio-Visual

Dear Kathy Griffin, You're a Grown-Up...I Think

Dear Kathy Griffin,

I'd like to start out by simply saying I'm not a Trump fan, nor am I a Hillary fan, this has nothing to do with politics, so get that out of your head right now. What I am is a single mother who works hard everyday to teach her child that their actions, their decisions have consequences, sometimes good and sometimes bad. I'm also trying to teach him to think before he acts, to determine what will happen if he makes a certain choice? See, I want my child to be prepared for life...and if he makes a bad decision (he's human), there will be consequences he won't like and he has no right to complain about. Why? Because he made the decision to do what he did, it was in his control, it was his choice, no one held a gun to his head. 

Maybe you missed this life-lesson when growing up, maybe you've lived in Hollywood too long, I don't know. What I do know is you made a conscious decision to pose for that photograph. I'm sure you thought ahead about what might happen and you still made the choice, no one held a gun to your head to participate in that photoshoot...now deal with the consequences of your choice. Anyone with half a brain could figure out what would happen next. Boo-freakin'-hoo that people are saying mean things about you, you made your choice. Who flippin' cares that Trump (and his family) are mad at you, if you posted a gross picture like that with one of my family members or of me so my child could see, I'd be livid with you too, but you made your choice, you can't cry about it. And you can't be upset that people are generally upset with you, you lost the empathy card as soon as the photo was released. Besides, don't Hollywood black holes such as yourself suck up all the attention they can get, positive or negative? No, I don't think all Hollywood folks are black holes, so don't try and turn that statement around. YOU CHOSE to help create a grotesque photo under the guise of art / political statement, now sleep in the bed YOU made (which probably looks like the horse head scene from The Godfather).

See Kathy, this isn't a political post, it's a post about grown-ups being grown-ups and taking responsibility for their choices, not pointing the finger at someone else. Last time I looked, you appear to be a grown-up so stop being a victim and own your choice. You obviously have reasons for choosing to do what you did as vile and distasteful as it was. If my 11 year old child understands this concept someone as old as you are should too. Stand-up, own your choice, grow a set (of ovaries) and deal with the ramifications of your actions. Honestly, count your blessings you aren't rotting in jail for threatening the President of the United States, many people have gone to jail for less. You should also thank your lucky stars that you live in a country that allows you to make bad decisions, such as this, with the only backlash being mean words people are saying about you. I'm hoping you learned your lesson on this one and you grow up.

Sincerely,

A Mother Who's Trying to Raise Her Son to Own His Choices