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A Northern Virginia data center giant on Thursday donated $20,000 to help the Greater Manassas Baseball League team afford a several-day trip to Missouri to compete next week in the Senior Babe Ruth World Series.
Without the gift from QTS Realty Trust Inc., some members of the all-star team would not have been able to afford attending, according to team Manager Bill Laughman. The team had been trying to raise $25,000 through a GoFundMe (which had reached more than $6,400 as of Thursday afternoon) and a small popcorn fundraiser, but the QTS donation made all the difference to help pay for what鈥檚 shaping up to be a very expensive tournament, Laughman said.
The tournament organizers provide a $350 stipend for each player, but that鈥檚 not nearly enough to cover transit fees, up to five nights in a hotel and meals. The tournament鈥檚 stadium also doesn鈥檛 allow players to bring outside coolers inside, leaving teams to purchase even water at a premium, Laughman said.
The opportunity for the entire team to play in the tournament also gives them a leg up on the field they would have otherwise lacked.
鈥淚t just helps us out a lot more to have that depth,鈥� Laughman said. 鈥�… The more the merrier, right? And that鈥檚 what鈥檚 been getting us through this is just everybody鈥檚 been stepping up.鈥�
Outfielder and pitcher Luke Pierce, who attends Patriot High School, said he was concerned about the prospect of some team members not being able to play in the tournament prior to the QTS donation.
鈥淭he money is very, very nice,鈥� Pierce said.
With a mix of long-time players combined with newcomers, the 16-to-18-year-olds on the team accomplished something no other team has done since the league began in 1957: reach a World Series by winning regionals. The team had to win outright to move on to the World Series. On July 30, they clinched the Southeast Region title with a 1-0 victory over Florida in Centreville.
鈥淲hen I had the opportunity to talk about what was going on with the Manassas team, we were unbelievably excited,鈥� said Nick Blessing, director of public policy for QTS. 鈥淎nd then I actually dug in and I talked to the coaches, I talked to teams and we found out just how long of a month it鈥檚 been in July — winning areas, winning [the state tournament], winning [the regional tournament] every single time to get to worlds to where you鈥檙e going. Unbelievable. We鈥檙e so excited to play just a small part in that.鈥�
QTS is one of two data center companies aiming to develop the contentious PW Digital Gateway project that proposes the development of 27.6 million square feet of data centers on 2,139 acres along Pageland Lane near Gainesville.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors in November approved a Comprehensive Plan amendment related to the PW Digital Gateway, paving the way for the project to move forward and signaling its likely approval. Still, the companies 鈥� QTS and Compass Datacenters 鈥� must secure rezonings for their data center projects to come to fruition.
The proposed project has generated a number of high-profile opposition groups, dominated public meeting comment sessions and played a significant role in deciding the outcome of June鈥檚 Democratic primary election, where pro-data center At-Large Chair Ann Wheeler was ousted by tech hub opponent and political outsider Deshundra Jefferson.
鈥淛ust this past year, we donated to about 180 different organizations with about $2 million,鈥� Blessing said. 鈥淐haritable giving is part of our DNA, and it goes beyond that in terms of volunteerism, community outreach, community benefit — those are all things that are core to our culture that haven’t changed and won鈥檛 change regardless of any projects.鈥�
