A league of his own

FAIRFAX - It was an idyllic early June day. The sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing. The fragrant smell of hot dogs and popcorn wafted from the concession stand.

On the ball diamonds, two Little League games were underway. Both the Fairfax green and gold teams of third- to fifth-graders were playing. Coaches cheered on the young players, even if they struck out. Parents clapped enthusiastically on the sidelines as they sat in lawn chairs watching the game.

Just behind the diamond, wearing a bright green T-shirt that read 'Fairfax” on it, Joe Kell stood back to take in the atmosphere he helped create. Kell, of Fairfax, is a volunteer with the Fairfax Youth Sports Association. In 2008, he started the organization as a way to get all children involved with sports.

Since then, the organization has given children in Fairfax an opportunity to play ball and be a part of a team, regardless of their skill or ability level.

The association began with 35 boys. Today, there are 540 kids participating annually in one of its games - T-ball, baseball, softball and soccer. Children play free of charge to parents or families. There are 110 adult volunteer coaches. There also are 16 teams and 225 participants in an adult co-ed softball league.

In 2014, a third- to sixth-grade spring soccer team, as well as a third-grade fall soccer team, were introduced to the Fairfax Youth Sports Association.

'It's almost organized chaos,” Kell said. 'A bunch of parents come out here with a bunch of kids and we paint some lines on the grass and throw the soccer ball out.”

Much of this was made possible by Kell, who volunteers his time to keep the association running. Kell estimates he spends 1,100 hours a year volunteering to help with the league. When he is not volunteering, Kell works at GE Capital Bank in Cedar Rapids.

In recognition of his commitment to the sports association, Kell was named Volunteer of the Year in the adult category at the United Way of East Central Iowa's volunteer recognition breakfast in April.

Kell, 53, said just being nominated for the award was a humbling experience and deflected praise to his entire committee.

'I do consider it more of a committee award than just what I do, because there are a lot of people that do a lot of work with this,” he said.

The Fairfax Youth Sports Association relies on the community's support to be able to succeed. The organization holds annual pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners to raise money for equipment and other supplies to allow the children to play for free.

'Everything goes back into the program,” Kell said. 'We don't have any paid volunteers; there's nobody on salary. All of our concession help is volunteers.”

Parents and committee members help in whatever way they can, Kell said. After Kell recently broke his foot, parents came in to drag the ball diamonds and get the field ready for play.

Tom Zumsande, a parent volunteer coach, has three children who have participated in the league. Zumsande said Kell always supports the kids who play and helps in whatever way he can.

'He does whatever it takes to get things going,” Zumsande said. 'He's really good with kids.”

For Cory Stockton, supporting the league is a family affair. Stockton helps acquire food for the concession stand and keep it clean. His daughter, Ryanne Stockton, made a personal effort to support the league. She organized a bake sale to raise funds to support one T-ball team. The bake sale raised more than $600 in two days, Cory Stockton said.

Kell coached Ryanne for a number of years in the pony league.

'For somebody to come up here and volunteer, all the hours that Joe volunteers, and he really takes a genuine interest in every kid that's involved,” Cory said. 'From the little soccer player to the pony league, softball and baseball player ... There was always an end of the year picnic, and he (Kell) had a story about every kid.”

Kell said being a part of the organization is about bonding with children and spending time getting to know each and every one of them. Near the concession stand, as the games go on, Kell greets spectators by name.

'One of our mottos is, if it makes sense for the kids, it makes sense for the rest of us,” Kell said. 'Whatever it is that we're doing, no matter what we're selling in the concession stand, or the equipment that we're using, or the different leagues that we're in, if it doesn't make sense for the kids, there's no reason for us to do it.”

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