Academy Notebook: Financial education courses coming to the Academy; Academy equipment distribution recap

Comerica Bank to deliver six, one-hour Comerica Money $ense workshops throughout 2021.

Arlington, Texas— Comerica Bank will offer free financial education courses to Dallas area adults with help from Texas Rangers Youth Academy partner Buckner International.

Comerica representatives will teach two free workshops per quarter in English and Spanish during 2021. Topics will include Disasters – Financial Preparation and Recovery, Spending and Savings Plans, and Credit Reports and Credit Scores.

Disasters – Financial Preparation will be offered virtually in both Spanish and English on April 29 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Part two, Disasters – Recovery, will be offered virtually on May 20 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Spanish and English.

Third-quarter sessions will focus on developing a spending and savings plan and prioritizing spending when money is tight. Fourth-quarter programming will cover credit reports and scores, building productive credit histories and repairing credit. The date, time and format for third and fourth quarter classes will be announced at a later date.

All adults are encouraged to register for the Comerica Money $ense Program at texasrangers.com/academy.

Youth Academy Equipment Distribution Recap

On Thursday, March 25, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy hosted the third annual equipment distribution event. Anticipation for this year’s event was greater than ever, especially after the 2020 equipment distribution was canceled due to COIVD-19.

Over 400 Academy participants and area athletes visited Oates Field to claim some free equipment as their own. Tons of bats, cleats, pants, helmets, gloves, bags and more, collected from the 2019 Equipment Drive where Isiah Kiner-Falefa served as the honorary chair, were available for local athletes of all ages.

Keithon Johnson, Kennedy-Curry Middle School’s Athletic Director and first-year head baseball coach, brought his entire team to the event. “I brought my baseball team out, and we actually won yesterday against one of our competitors, so I just wanted the kids to get a different kind of experience, see a different kind of field, a different kind of environment,” said coach Johnson. “I also understood that this was an opportunity for them to get some equipment for themselves.

“I have to be frank and say African American kids are definitely not playing enough baseball, especially at the elementary level. I feel like this event provides the opportunity for them to get some individual equipment and be able to extend baseball outside of school and play it at home.”

The Academy first started this distribution event in 2018 as an opportunity to provide equipment to area athletes, often marking the first time these players can call a glove or bat their very own. Orlando Prescott, Youth Academy Coordinator of Baseball and Softball, emphasized the potential for positive community impact when he first presented the idea for the equipment distribution event.

Reflecting on last week's event, Prescott said, “after not being able to host equipment distributions in 2020, it was a truly joyous occasion to equip our athletes with equipment needed to be at their very best on the field this year.”

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy will continue its mission to help young athletes and their families across the Dallas area during next year’s equipment distribution.

High School Baseball & Softball Schedule

Below is the schedule of the remaining Pinkston, Sunset and Thomas Jefferson High School baseball and softball games to be played at the Academy in April. Scheduling is subject to change.

For the fourth straight year, Pinkston High School baseball and softball teams are calling the Academy home. The Sunset High School baseball and softball squad will also join them in playing their 2021 home games at the facility again this year.

This is also the second season Thomas Jefferson High School baseball and softball teams are playing their home games at the Academy after their fields were damaged by the October 2019 tornadoes that hit Dallas.