For decades, iconic New Canaan business Karl Chevrolet has sponsored—and continues to sponsor—little league baseball teams in town.
The New Canaan Softball 10U team ran a food drive with help from Walter Stewart’s Market, to benefit New Covenant Center in Stamford. Contributed
The national Chevrolet company runs a program that distributes funds to specific youth leagues through the 1927-established Elm Street business and local Chevy dealers.
This summer, Karl Chevy is expanding its support to include one of New Canaan’s rapidly growing sports for girls: softball.
“We’ve met a couple of families from the program and they asked for help,” said Steve Karl, a VP at Karl Chevy and former Bantam league Huron who graduated in 1980 from New Canaan High School. “We said yes, we would do it this year.”
Sponsors for softball have nearly doubled year-over-year, according to Jeff Fortmann, a town resident handling community relations for New Canaan Softball. New sponsors include Karl Chevy as well as Oxygen Fitness, Against the Grain, A&N Plumbing and Heating, Tony’s Deli, Exterior Living Landscaping, S&B Sports, Plaza Realty, Club Sandwich and Russell Speeders Car Wash. Returning sponsors include Swirl, Camsan Electrical, New Canaan Pediatric Dentistry, Frangione Engineering and Dr. Osherow Orthodontist.
“Family-owned and operated companies like Karl Chevrolet immediately responded to the opportunity to help support and sponsor New Canaan Softball this season,” Fortmann said. “Without their support and other local businesses, the program wouldn’t be possible.”
By all accounts, it’s one of New Canaan’s fastest-growing youth sports. According to Fortmann, New Canaan Softball is seeing a 62 percent year-over-year increase in participation.
“Our goal continues to be to provide an athletic outlet for all girls in our town to compete at their highest potential, grow as strong female leaders, bond as a team and have fun,” he said.
They’re values embraced by many local businesses, including Walter Stewart’s Market.
Last weekend, 15 girls from the New Canaan Softball’s 10U travel team in a food drive to help collect food and raise donations to support Stamford’s New Covenant Center, which provides basic living items and services to those in need.
With help from Walter Stewart’s, the team collected hundreds of units of food to donate to the New Covenant Center food pantry. The team also collected more than $200 in cash donations.
“The food drive was an enormous success,” Fortmann said. “Not only did a team of 10-year-old girls collect a tremendous amount of food to donate to the New Covenant Center they also learned about the importance of giving back to your local community and helping those in need.”