For over half a century, WORKS Little League has served the community of Woodhaven. Formerly known as Rich-Haven, WORKS now serves Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens, and South Ozone Park. This coming Saturday, April 4th, WORKS will be carrying on an old Rich-Haven tradition, and that is the annual parade down Jamaica Avenue. This year's parade will begin at approximately 10 AM at P.S. 90 (108th St & Jamaica in Richmond Hill). From there, over 700 players, managers, coaches, and parents will make their way down Jamaica Avenue and then turn up Forest Parkway, ending up at the Seuffert Bandshell around 11:15. If you have a few moments on Saturday morning, come down to the avenue to show your support for this longstanding Woodhaven organization. This past Saturday was Picture Day, which was held in the gymnasium of Holy Child Jesus, on 111th St. and 86th Avenue. The gymnasium was packed with parents and kids as the WORKS Organizers led the kids through the process of having their pictures taken. A huge backdrop with blue skies and green trees was put up, and the kids waited in line for their chance to pose for their team picture. WORKS has its' own website, which you can access by clicking here. The leage has expanded over the years, and it now includes a division for girls, and a division for children who have autism. In this day and age, when so many kids get most of their interaction with others through a modem, and most of their exercise with their Wii Fit, Little League baseball is a wonderful opportunity to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, and -- most importantly -- an opportunity to make friends. Back in the day, when it was still known as Rich-Haven, team pictures were taken out on the field before games. Here's a team picture from 1978. This picture was taken on Crossbay Field: Interesting note: See the little red haired kid on one knee (bottom row, 2nd from the right). His name is Terrence Flanagan and, today, he is the President of Works Little League. Here is a video presentation containing a report on WORKS Little League from NY-1 (including an interview with Mr. Flanagan) and some footage from Saturday's Picture Day:
Things have changed over the years. Back when I played ball (more years ago than I care to remember), it was virtually unheard of for a girl to play baseball. We had one, maybe two, girls play for Rich-Haven back in those days. These days there are so many girls playing ball that they have full teams! In addition to the team photos, there were other items available. Jackets, plaques, personalized baseball cards - they had a lot of fun items that any kid would love. It was a long day for the volunteers and organizers of WORKS and they did a wonderful job of keeping the kids moving and keeping everything orderly and fun. They are always in need of extra help, so if you're interested go to their website and get in touch. And, once again, please keep this Saturday's parade in mind. We'll be out there on Jamaica Avenue, covering the parade, and we'll make our way up to the bandshell as well. Hope to see you out there! 
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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