Many people who we’ve come in contact with have had various thoughts on who The MYAA is and what we are about. Hopefully this article will help you to understand a little bit more about the organization.
The ‘Who is the MYAA’ is pretty easy. The MYAA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that was established in October of 1999… wow 10 years old already! We were founded by a group of community parents to ensure that our kids would have the ability to play soccer, baseball, softball and t-ball, and to help maintain and build fields.
Many people think that we are part of the Park District, Schools, the Village of Manhattan or other taxing bodies, but we aren’t. All of our revenue is strictly from registration fees, fundraisers, sponsorships and donations. Although we enjoy great relationships with all of the taxing bodies and thank them all for their support, we exist solely because of and for our members. Members? Who is a member? Basically, any family that has had children enrolled in any of our sports teams in the last 12 months is a member. That means most of you reading this are members! Congratulations!
The MYAA has three Governing Boards that help to guide our way. The Executive Board is responsible for overall organization issues, such as insurance, agreements with the Park District and Schools, tax filings and helping the Division Boards with anything they may bring to them. Division Boards? That’s right; The MYAA has two divisions, Soccer and Baseball/Softball. Each Division’s Board handles the governance of their divisions. They arrange the actual sports activities, find coaches, umpires/refs, and maintain most of the great facilities that all of our kids play on around town. From the beautiful grass on the Smith Road soccer fields to the baseball fields at the local schools, our divisions take a lot of pride in their efforts.
All of this is done by VOLUNTEERS! Every coach, manager, board member, fundraising coordinator, every person who grabs a shovel or a rake or picks up empty water bottles after a game, all are volunteers. For all of the younger kids that may be visiting our site, and for some of the adults who like a good quote, I once read that ‘Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless’. Nothing could be truer.
Without volunteers, none of this would exist. No baseball next summer, no spring or fall soccer, nothing for our kids to do to stay fit, burn off some of that energy and learn what good sportsmanship is all about. It would all disappear.
The MYAA is ALWAYS looking for volunteers. If you’re not volunteering already, email us to see how you can help. Join our emailing lists to stay up to date on what’s going on and check back to this website as often as you can! Get involved, be a part of something that makes our community better and our children great!
Remember, ‘Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.’ ~Elizabeth Andrew
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