After a day of baseball and a chance to meet appearance former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Gary Maddux, 10-year-old Dennis Gainer could not contain his excitement. He had attended Saturday's free baseball clinic sponsored by the Office of Community Relations, the Athletic Department and the Pennsylvania Baseball Club. "I decided to come because I wanted to be better and I wanted to learn, and I did," he said. The clinic, for West Philadelphia youth aged 10-15, was part of a community outreach effort by the University. The approximately 50 participants hailed from Philadelphia organizations such as the National Youth Sports, Black Achievers and Police Athletic League. Throughout the day, the children learned basic skills, such as throwing, pitching, fielding, hitting and base running. Nearly 20 volunteers from the Baseball Club broke the youths into small groups for more individualized instructions. Maddux, an eight-time Golden Glove Outfielder, unexpectedly attended the clinic and spoke with each small group about work ethics. "I called him yesterday, and with his busy schedule he came out and spent an hour," Community Relations Director Glen Bryan said. "He's pleased with this [the clinic]." Robert Kunc, director of academic support for the Athletic Department, spoke about education as well. "[I learned] don't keep thinking about baseball, but the subjects in school, because you have to pass your subjects in school to play baseball or other athletics," Gainer said. College senior David Cohen serves as president of the Baseball Club, an unofficial junior varsity team, and coordinated the event. Cohen, who also works in the Office of Community Relations, said he decided to use his club to benefit the community. Cohen added that he hoped that youths left the clinic with a good knowledge of the baseball skills that could help them become better players in the future. "I would like it to be an annual event. It will be up to next year's captain," Cohen said. "It's gone very well so far. I think they're learning a lot." According to University officials, the baseball clinic is part of the University's larger plan to be more involved with the community. During the event, the Athletic Department provided use of all facilities and lunch for all the youths, and CoreStates Bank provided T-shirts. In the past, the department has also supported clinics on gymnastics, rowing, fencing, and soccer. "It's part of community outreach," Bryan said. "Penn needs to be a better neighbor and share its resources."
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