GRANTEE HIGHLIGHT
Recipient: Bowen Island Slopitch League
Charitable partner: Bowen Island Municipality
Project: Ball diamond upgrades
Grant: $12,500
Bowen Island is home to a beautiful ball diamond located right in the heart of Snug Cove, and over the past two years it’s received a fantastic upgrade benefiting the six fastpitch, eight slopitch, and five little league teams who play on it, as well as the legions of fans who come out to cheer them on from the stands.
The roots of the game run deep on Bowen Island. Long before the present ball diamond was constructed, islanders and summer visitors gathered in the Cove to play. In 1986, Lawson Boutilier, Greg Cope, Eddie Weismiller, and other Sunday ball players transformed the rough Snug Cove field into a safe place to play, clearing blackberry bushes and hazardous terrain and building a fence and proper backstop. Their efforts coincided with the birth of Bowen’s new fastpitch league. For decades, local ball games have been at the centre of community building on the island.
Over 50 years, thousands of games, strikes, and home runs took their toll on the field, and packed crowds in the bleachers left them worn out and no longer safe. Once again, the community came together with the vision and cooperation needed to renew this vital community amenity.
With a $12,500 grant from the Bowen Island Community Foundation, additional financial support from the Bowen Island Fastpitch League, and countless volunteer hours from players across the leagues and their families, the Bowen Island Slopitch League has completed some much-needed and appreciated improvements: the battery in the electric scoreboard was upgraded to last for an entire weekend of play, safety top covers were added to the outfield fences, the whole infield was levelled and new fill added, a new home plate was installed, and, for the comfort of the growing number of loyal fans, all five sets of bleachers were restored—including structural metal repairs, fresh paint, and new wooden seating.
The upgrade project is a testament to intergenerational collaboration, volunteerism, and island self-sufficiency. From local trade expertise in metalwork (Mike McKoryk) and electrical repair (Eric Michener) to project coordination by Dave Atkinson and youth players who rolled up their sleeves to haul boards, everyone pitched in to ensure the Snug Cove diamond remains a place where Bowen Islanders will gather, cheer, and play for years to come.
Lead image: Thanks to Dave Atkinson and Mike Verlieb for installing the new home plate.
