Members of the Russellville Elite 8 & under travel baseball team took supplies to help storm victims in Tupelo, Miss. Pictured are: Reed Hamilton, Hudson Lawson, Michael Scofield, Brandt Cummings, Brayden Spurgeon, Jackson Clement, Shaden Romans, Gavin Hyde, KJ Murray, Peyton Scofield, Carter Fisher, Tal Hamilton and Sam Hamilton. Not pictured are: Braylen Vincient, Reese Carson and Maddox Cochran.

By Bart Moss

For the FCT

The Russellville Elite 8 & under travel baseball team was scheduled to play in a tournament in Tupelo, Miss., the first week of May, but events took an unexpected turn on Monday, April 28, when Tupelo was hit by a major tornado.

The team called to see if their game would still be played and, to their surprise, the game was still on.

Sensing an opportunity, the team mothers decided this would be a great life lesson for these young boys.

They got the boys together, explained to them what had happened and asked them how they could help those in need.

“We organized many basic supplies like water, juice drinks, diapers, baby wipes – anything people needed to help them get through the tough times,” said Jessica Cummings, whose son plays on the team.

“We sat the boys down and explained to them that a lot of people were hurt badly, some lost their homes, and we needed to help out where we can.”

They took the supplies to one of the drop-off points in Tupelo and then went to see the storm damage.

“We talked to the players about how fortunate and blessed they were,” said Cummings.

“We’ve had a lot of family and friends in Franklin County that have been affected by these kinds of storms recently. It’s sad when you see families uprooted and torn apart.”

This is the team’s first year together and they are already learning that there is much more to life than games. They are learning to give back to those in need.