BALTIMORE, MD -- Under the direction of head coach Bob Babb, the Johns Hopkins baseball team has, for more than four decades now, been among the most active Blue Jay teams when it comes to serving both the JHU and local communities.  The focus of their efforts takes place in the non-traditional fall season and there has never been a shortage of activities that Babb and his wife, Gilly, have spearheaded to not only serve, but teach.

At this time of Thanksgiving, below is a quick summary of the various initiatives the team undertook this fall:

During the month of August, the Blue Jays participated in a number of community service activities.  The first activity involved the team spending a Saturday morning working in the Hopkins Dell, a park adjacent to the Johns Hopkins campus.  There, the team picked up trash, painted buildings, trimmed trees, weeded various areas, and did general clean-up of the entire area.  This has been a long-time initiative of the team.

The team next worked with Heaven on Earth Now, where the players shopped for healthy foods and supplies, then loaded them in bags one evening. These bags are made to provide homeless, needy, and invalid people supplies which will last a month.  The finished bags are distributed by the Baltimore County and Baltimore City police forces along with the parent organization, Heaven on Earth Now. The team plans on working with Heaven on Earth Now regularly throughout the school year!.

On two Sunday evenings, a group of six players came to the Babb house to make casseroles and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, another long-time staple of the program.  The finished products were taken the following morning to Our Daily Bread, an organization in Baltimore which provides meals and services to the needy and homeless in Baltimore City.  The players were then treated to dinner at the Babb household.

Finally, a group of six players travels to the inner city every Thursday evening to work with city youths.  An organization called BUBA (Baltimore Urban Baseball Association) is a one-of-a-kind inner city facility designed to accommodate inner young city players in developing their baseball skills at no cost.

The team's commitment to community service is a big part of the Hopkins Baseball program.  Giving back to the community and Baltimore City specifically is an important goal for Johns Hopkins Baseball.

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