Visitors enjoy a day in Cedar Rapids

To the editor:

Recently, we traveled to the Cedar Rapids area to enjoy our family and watch one grandson play soccer and the other baseball. In the morning families gathered at a soccer complex to watch kids be healthy and work hard. Before the game, one of the coaches politely asked the adults to positively support their kids - not correct or criticize - just enjoy the beautiful day and the kids having fun. There was no official so one of the parents, a teacher at Harding Middle School where our grandson attends school, said he'd officiate.

Later in the day we went to a youth baseball game. The Mount Mercy baseball team provided an amazing experience for our 3rd grade grandson and the other kids. This college baseball team has partnered with the city to share their expertise with these kids just learning baseball. The Mount Mercy athletes offered coaching, good humor and a great afternoon.

If you live in the Cedar Rapids area, you might take this kind of fun for granted. You shouldn't. The effort to get these programs going is substantial and they don't exist everywhere. This community support for children will make a difference in their lives forever. And it wasn't just soccer and baseball these kids learned - they saw and heard adults cheering them on. They saw adults volunteering and using their time to make the community a better place. They saw adults being civil and positive and having fun with children. Great life lessons. It was a wonderful day.

Willard and Susan Olesen

Greenfield