JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Sunnehanna Amateur Foundation Inc. has pledged $2,500 to help cover travel expenses for the West Suburban Little League 12-Under softball team as it heads to the Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, North Carolina.
The Johnstown team composed of Cambria County players will represent Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic Region in the Little League World Series, to be held from Aug. 3-10 at Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park.
“What it comes down to is we want to support the community causes,” said William Carney, president of the Sunnehanna Amateur Foundation Inc. “We’ve been trying to find places where money could be used to help kids and enrich their lives.
“West Suburban was a recipient earlier in the year, and with the girls making it to the Little League World Series, we figured we would help them, too.”
West Suburban 12U softball team wins in extra innings, earns spot in Little League World Series
Johnstown will be represented in the Little League Softball World Series after the West Suburban 12-under girls softball team posted an extra-inning, walk-off victory to earn the Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament championship.
Founded in 2015, the nonprofit foundation is associated with the Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions, a nationally renowned elite golf tournament held for the past 84 years at Sunnehanna Country Club in Westmont.
“We have people on the committee that are really community people,” Carney said.
West Suburban earned the trip to North Carolina in impressive fashion, winning four consecutive games in the Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.
ESPN carried Friday’s championship game as West Suburban beat Delaware 5-4 in extra innings.
“Having the support of the Sunnehanna Amateur Foundation for these girls means everything,” said Jason Subich, president of West Suburban Little League. “These families have lived out of a suitcase now for weeks, first at the state tournament and then at the regional tournament.
“There are real-world implications, where these parents are missing work and missing everything they need to take care of at home to be on the road with their daughters. This money helps them with those travel expenses and we’re very appreciative of it.”
‘It’s been amazing’: West Suburban 12U softball team to play for spot in Little League World Series on ESPN
The West Suburban 12-Under girls softball team will represent Pennsylvania in the Little League Softball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament championship game Friday night in Bristol, Conn.
The West Suburban team has received widespread support through social media, traditional media and from everyday sports fans.
“The amount of texts that I have received – and I don’t even have a girl on the team – congratulating our team on its success has been overwhelming,” Subich said.
“The community support, all of Cambria County – because our Little League territory is all of Cambria County except the Penn Cambria School District – it has been tremendous. The whole county has rallied around these girls.”
Carney and the Sunnehanna Amateur Foundation Inc. believe it is important to spotlight the achievements of local or regional athletes who compete on a national stage.
“It’s always terrific to see success for the young people around here,” Carney said. “Success spawns success. This is just one part of their life, but they’ll probably take this success story and put it in other aspects of their lives.
“That’s the way the world is and life is.”
The Sunnehanna Amateur Foundation previously donated $10,000 to West Suburban Little League, and an additional $10,000 to Greater Johnstown Youth League, which covered the cost of lawn mowers and uniforms as well as attending a Johnstown Mill Rats game at Sargent’s Stadium.