​​Wakeland Kids are First on the West Coast to Experience Baseball Hall of Fame Program

June 29, 2016

SAN DIEGO - For kids participating in Wakeland's Resident Services programs in San Diego's South Bay, Cooperstown and baseball’s history have never felt closer, despite spanning opposite ends of the continental United States, thanks to a partnership between the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and Morgan Stanley. The kids in Wakeland's program at two Eden Housing communities in San Diego and San Ysidro are the first on the West Coast to benefit from a unique afterschool program that transports them to the Baseball Hall of Fame through videoconferences and educational curriculum. 

Beginning this month and continuing through August, students from a cross-section of grades are learning about the influential role of baseball in a variety of subjects, including cultural diversity, science, statistics, geometry and healthy living. The curriculum has been culled from the Museum’s award-winning educational programs and customized to the young San Diegans through their communities’ resident services program provided by Wakeland. The program was made possible thanks to the generosity of Morgan Stanley. 
Over the course of 10 weeks, students will have weekly videoconference connections with the education team at the Baseball Hall of Fame, to enhance the learning experience and transport eager minds to the home of baseball, nearly 3,000 miles apart, to the pastoral setting of Cooperstown, N.Y. In addition, the Padres Foundation will provide tickets to for Eden Housing and Wakeland Housing students for the Aug. 5 Phillies vs. Padres game at Petco Park. 

“Baseball provides the ideal content for learning a variety of subjects because of its rich history, its complexity and its multi-faceted application,” said Jon Shestakofsky, vice president for communications and education for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “This program connects many students who may have yet to experience all that baseball can offer with Cooperstown, showing both educators and students just how powerful the baseball learning experience can be.” 

The Museum has previously collaborated with Morgan Stanley to deliver similar programs to students in Salt Lake City, Utah, and communities in the Bronx, N.Y. 

“We are pleased to partner with Eden Housing and Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation in bringing this unique educational and enrichment program to San Diego,” said Mike Mantle, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. “The Hall of Fame has been a valuable and impactful partner helping to deliver similar programming through our community development initiatives in the Bronx and Salt Lake City, and we look forward to continuing that in San Diego.” 

For more information about the Hall of Fame’s education programs, please visit http://www.baseballhall.org/learn