Cal Ripken Jr. plays with Empowerment International!

Today is one of the most exciting days for EI staff and kids in Granada. Cal Ripken and Dennis Martinez are here in Nicaragua and Empowerment International has been selected as one of the participants in the game of Quickball!

Cal Ripken is one of the most respected names in baseball. He has had a successful 21 year Major League Baseball career and retired in 2001. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year and was appointed American Public Diplomacy Envoy by the US State Department in 2007. He is currently on a five-day trip (Nov 13-18) with Dennis Martinez, a native of Nicaragua who played with Ripken for the Baltimore Orioles.

Martinez won 245 games with five big league teams over 23 seasons and is often known as “El Presidente”. Both Ripken and Martinez plan to instruct youth coaches and kids on the game while connecting with them and spreading goodwill in Nicaragua.

The kids have been overjoyed to have these two baseball greats among them.

Since most of the kids chosen  for the event are too young and small to play baseball, they are learning to play Quickball – a game developed by Cal Ripken, it is  especially suited for all kids, especially little ones. The balls are bigger and lighter (made of sponge) and bats wider and easy to swing. The bases are closer together and rules are simpler as well.  If that was not enough fun and excitement for the youngsters, they  were interviewed by various TV stations!

It really is a dream come true for so many people here. Baseball is the Nicaragua’s national sport and  the kids have met not only the local but international hero of the game!

In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish  5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -