VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Valdosta Boys and Girls Club kicked off its annual baseball season on Monday at Lake Laurie with special help from Valdosta State University.

VSU head basketball coaches Mike Helfer and Carley Kuhns threw out the ceremonial first pitch as the organization began its 61st year of Little League baseball.

Lake Laurie site supervisor and athletic director Carlos Jones spoke of the significance of Opening Day, building a partnership with Valdosta State and the organization’s long-standing involvement in the community.

“I’ve been here three years now and I’ve done this Opening Day ceremony all three years I’ve been here,” Jones said. “It’s been good every year. We use different people within the community to come out and throw out the first pitch. With the community backing us, we want to back them as well. We are working now to have a good partnership with VSU in certain aspects to have coach Helfer come in, talk to the kids and mentor kids with his players so we’re excited about the direction of both programs and what we want to do within our community.”

Providing the Valdosta community’s youth with positive extracurricular activities away from school allow organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Valdosta Parks and Recreation and the YMCA to strengthen their respective bonds throughout the city.

“It’s definitely huge,” Jones said. “Most kids that go to Valdosta and Lowndes High School come through our programs in the Parks and Rec department as well as the Boys and Girls Club. The relationships you build within those are huge for the community –– the fact that we have the competitiveness, the camaraderie and things of that nature. So, we’re excited each year to field these teams in all the sports that we can as well as our after-school program. We’re very big with our community and keeping these programs going.”

The Boys and Girls Club will feature teams in six different leagues including a 13-14 league, three- and four-year-old T-ball, coach pitch and a live-pitch boys league.

“It’s great to have four, five, six teams in each league,” Jones said. “It’s big because it’s getting more kids out and involved in sports and developing them –– not just sitting at the house playing video games, they’re out here working. The kids look forward to it as well as the parents and so does my staff working with these kids so we’re excited about what we have going on here at the Boys and Girls Club.”

As a father of two boys participating, Helfer loves to see his children’s faces light up when baseball season begins.

“As a coach, you’re always on the other side,” Helfer said after the ceremony. “Seeing it from a parent and fan standpoint, it’s cool. It’s fun to see your kids get so excited about something other than VSU, so to speak. It’s their own thing and to see them get excited about playing is what being a dad is all about.”

Prior to the ceremony, Helfer and Kuhns stood on the pitcher’s mound as Jones recognized each for their accomplishments in their career to those in attendance. With a coaching career spanning over 20 years, Helfer admits Monday’s ceremony was the first time he has been asked to throw out a first pitch but enjoyed the experience overall.

“The Boys and Girls Club did a good job,” Helfer said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect –– it was my first time being involved with it and it was cool. It was a neat ceremony and I think the Boys and Girls Club is something that Valdosta needs to rally behind and keep supporting because it does so much for the kids.”

Kuhns, a mother of two girls, also spoke positively about the experience as well as the effect youth sports can have on the community and the children involved.

“I think it’s cool that they get behind the kids and make them realize how important youth sports are, that they celebrate it and would do an event like this to start the season,” Kuhns said. “I think it makes the kids feel special and it definitely made us feel special that we were invited out here and recognized and it was a really cool event.”

Helfer joked with a fellow parent after the ceremony that he wanted to showcase his change-up in his pitching debut. Kuhns, known for her shooting accuracy on the hardwood in her playing days, believes her first pitch was solid and was glad to keep the ball out of the dirt.

“It went in the glove,” Kuhns said laughing. “It didn’t bounce, it didn’t roll to the plate. I’m not sure if it was a strike, but it was close.”

As Jones pointed out, child involvement is key but generating positive feedback from parents is where the Boys and Girls Club continues to strive each year to increase involvement in their programs.

“The feedback’s been good,” Jones said. “Everybody looks forward to it, even the teams that don’t have games come out to be a part of this. The parents, in general, having everybody involved is huge and we look forward to it every year.”