Orioles' legend Cal Ripken Jr. visits YMCA in Salisbury

Legendary Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. visited Salisbury on Wednesday to put his All-Star power behind an initiative partnering law enforcement officers and local youths.

Ripken and Perdue Farms Chairman Jim Perdue were on hand to help celebrate "Badges for Baseball" day in Salisbury as an afternoon baseball clinic was held as part of the Cal Ripken Sr., Foundation's Badges for Baseball program, which involved members of the Salisbury Police Department. The event was held at the Richard A. Henson Family YMCA.

"As I grew up in our household, we were always encouraged to be active in the community, and I remember when my mom said, 'just think when you go on to be a big-league baseball player, you'll have the chance to have so much more influence on communities,' " Ripken said. "I always kept it in the back of my mind, and for all those years, we were active in many great different causes.

"And then we lost my dad, and it really made us sit down and say, what was dad's life all about, what was his legacy? And really it was about developing kids. He used baseball to do that. He'd help train them with baseball, get kids interested in baseball, really he was talking to them about life, about choices and he was using the sport to do that."

The Badges for Baseball program pairs children with police officers in an effort to reshape the relationship between law enforcement and children in underserved communities in the country. Salisbury's version of the program began in January with the help of monetary donations from the Arthur W. Perdue and Richard A. Henson foundations.

Tom Evans, a trustee of the Henson Foundation and a Henson Family YMCA Board member, said the names of the Ripken, Henson and Perdue families formed a strong partnership that helps better the community.

"The Ripken name in Maryland — in fact the nation — is synonymous with respect, discipline and integrity," Evans said in a statement. "The Badges for Baseball program incorporates those principles through recreational activities, pairing kids and law enforcement officers to create a trusting relationship between the two, thus making it a perfect fit for our foundation by connecting key components of our mission and focus — education, recreation and putting kids on the right path in life."

During the clinic, Ripken signed autographs for local children and participated in activities. The children who attended the event also went to Wednesday's Delmarva Shorebirds game against the Lakewood BlueClaws at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan said her agency was "grateful" for the opportunity to participate in the program and give a better representation as to what they do.

"When we first learned about the strategies here that the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation had been talking about, Badges for Baseball was definitely embraced," she said. "It's the type of program we subscribe to because we do different mentoring programs and we're grateful for this opportunity. These children are getting the foundation, that they need to strive and succeed later on in their adult lives by steering them clear of wrong choices. By being a part of this particular program, our officers get the opportunity to get viewed through a child's eyes in a vastly different light."

Ripken said the key to the program is making a connection between law enforcement and children, with the officers helping to make a difference.

"We use baseball to get their attention and friends, and we match them with caring adults, who give them positive exposure and positive experiences," he said. "This program, Badges for Baseball, it's not rocket science by any means. There's been many of the programs that have matched law enforcement with sports, but our situation is a little bit different.

"The best part about that with law enforcement, we want them to have that reputation in the community instead of just being seen as coming in to get the bad guys and having them go away. We want to help them create a rapport with them."

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