Congressional ball games postponed by coronavirus

This time of year, DC usually comes together for some beloved bipartisan traditions. The Congressional baseball and softball games – some of the biggest events of the year on Capitol Hill – are now on an extended time-out because of the coronavirus crisis.

The Congressional baseball and softball games are postponed because of the coronavirus. Here members of Congress huddle up during a previous season, where the annual Congressional baseball game for charity is typically the biggest event on Capitol Hill each year. (Source: GrayDC)

Over the years, the

  has raised millions of dollars for non-profits. One of the programs – the

  – offers sports and mentorship to kids in underserved communities.

“Those are the type of experiences that these kids are going to talk about for a lifetime," said Stephen Makle.

Although the pandemic is sidelining sports for now, Makle says his sons, Amir and Ian, are still connected with the academy and the program is providing meals to families.

“It really has just been a blessing to be a part of this," said Makle.

The annual game supports dozens of causes - from education and literacy, to supporting survivors of domestic violence.

“The mission of Congressional sports for charity is to help local non-profits in the DC area that focus their programming on children and families," said Ryan Thompson, Congressional Sports for Charity Foundation President.

Thompson says many charities are seeing donations drop as the needs rise. So, the foundation sent $86,500 to programs in most need facing stress from the coronavirus crisis. In recent years, Thompson says changes were made to make the foundation financially strong, and that helped them be able to send out additional reserve funding to non-profits facing hard times. But there's no clear picture for if or when the annual game will be able to happen.

"We’re trying to figure out exactly what our event’s going to look like – it’s not going to probably be the 20,000 spectator event that it traditionally has been," said Thompson.

The

  is also on stand-by. Over the years, the event has raised $1.6 million dollars for the

 , which helps young adults battling breast cancer.

“This pandemic is serious, but breast cancer doesn’t care. It’s still going to keep happening," said Jennifer Merschdorf, CEO of the Young Survival Coalition.

Merschdorf says her non-profit was heartbroken COVID-19 forced them to cancel their largest fundraiser of the year. She says it usually brings together many who are currently undergoing cancer treatments. But during this pandemic, she says it could've posed a risk to their health. She explains that there's even more need for their programs and services in these times.

"There’s a lot of fear as a young adult affected by breast cancer of weighing the risks of exposure to COVID-19, what the risks of delaying treatment, there’s fears around delays in surgery, diagnostic testing and just routine treatment," said Merschdorf.

The Congressional baseball and softball games both hope to re-schedule their annual events for the fall. But everything is on hold because of this coronavirus.

You can make a contribution to the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity or to the Young Survival Coalition online. Organizers say any donation – no matter how small – makes a difference.