Dear Palo Verde Little League Families,
I write to you with a heavy heart to let you know that the Palo Verde Little League Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 spring league.
Thank you to everyone who responded to their coaches regarding player interest in a shortened season; we received valuable feedback. However, in addition to the safety of the players and families, there were many factors that would have made it very difficult to run a league. Those include the shortened season, the summer heat and monsoon, the State and International Little League guidelines and protocols for resuming (see: https://www.littleleague.org/player- safety/coronavirus-update/season-resumption-guide/best- practices/organizing-playing-watching-games/), securing cleaning supplies (disinfectant, sanitizer and wipes) and the possible lack of opponents given that most other leagues in Tucson have already canceled their seasons. That said, Rincon Little League (https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/rinconll) is still planning to run its league, and Palo Verde players can transfer to that league for this summer without a waiver. If you're interested in this option, you can contact them directly at: [email protected].
We look forward to a big "fall ball" season that will likely be played more like a spring season and hope that you will consider signing up in August. Twelve-year-olds who normally would have aged out will be eligible to play in the fall. We can only speculate and hope about the evolution of the pandemic and where we might be in the fall. But the time between now and then will help us prepare and be ready to implement any required Little League safety protocols. Many families have been touched by the pandemic through illness, loss of income, isolation and other circumstances. If there is something that the Palo Verde Little League can help your family with, please reach out to us. We are all in this together.
Like so many other organizations, businesses and families (including some of you), the financial fallout of the pandemic will impact Palo Verde Little League. We rely on registration fees and sponsorships to fund the entire season. Although we would like to give every family a full refund, we simply don't have enough money in our bank account to do that. By March we had already incurred many costs for the spring season, including Little League International charter fees, insurance, field reservations, league advertisements, new equipment and uniforms (which can be used in the fall). A large portion of these league expenses will be refunded or carried over to the fall, but not all them. Therefore, we will retain $20, a portion from each registration, to cover those expenses and are providing three options for the remainder:
1. Refund- A check will be mailed to you.
2. Credit-used toward the fall 2020 or the spring 2021 registration.
3. Donation: any amount, tax-deductible donation to Palo Verde Little League, a 501c3 non-profit organization. A receipt will be mailed to you.
Please use the link below to notify us of your family's registration fee choice.
If you have issues using the form, please contact us with the parent/ guardian name, whom the check or receipt will be made out to, player's names, registration fee choice (refund, credit or donation) and the address to mail check or receipt to.
We will process requests as quickly as possible, but please be patient since we're all volunteers. On that note, please consider volunteering this fall. We'll probably need a lot of help, and there will be no better time to chip in and get the kids back out on the ball field.
Take care and be well,
Renee Gomez for the Palo Verde Little League Board