Committed to providing the assistance and rallying the support needed to build new ballparks and/or improve existing ballparks to ensure kids have a quality place to play. Hellman's lifelong passion has been baseball – playing it, watching it, sharing it with others ... living and breathing it. "Growing up on the east side of Waterloo, Iowa, I lived just twelve blocks away from the current locatio
n of Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence," said Hellman. "It was there that my lifelong passion for baseball was born. As a little league player all those years ago, I remember I lived for baseball. I also remember most often having to ride my bike to other parts of town to play ball." Now, as the founder and Chairman of the Board of a successful advertising agency, Hellman decided he needed to give back to the game that had given him so much. He was excited when the opportunity arose to build a showcase ball field at the Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence near his childhood home. Hellman and his family committed a $75,000 memorial gift honoring his parents toward the development of a ballpark to be used by area little leaguers and women's softball players. He and staff members, along with the school, City of Waterloo, donors, and area citizens worked to make the dream become a reality. Hellman Field, as it was dubbed, features a totally equipped baseball field, including spectator bleachers, electronic scoreboard, sod infield and outfield, outfield fence, dugouts, concession stand, and lights for nighttime games. He realized that if he and other community-minded citizens could build a ballpark here, then a ballpark could be built anywhere there is a need. All it takes is teamwork. Build Our Ballpark has now built and/or renovated 15 fields in Waterloo (Hellman Field, Tibbitts and Danes complexes, and Riverfront Sports Park), and has begun work on projects in neighboring communities. Team BOB has ridden RAGBRAI four times, raising more than $400,000 and introducing Build Our Ballpark to new audiences. In 2009, Governor Chet Culver helped Build Our Ballpark establish May 19 as Youth Baseball Softball Day - an official state holiday in Iowa. In 2013 and 2014, Build Our Ballpark collected essays and videos from young ball players, awarding the winners' teams with sporting goods shopping sprees. At the end of each Optimist League season, Build Our Ballpark honors area coaches with the Coaches of the Year Awards. Kids and parents nominate the best mentors in the area, and a ceremony celebrates their hard work. And in 2014, Build Our Ballpark teamed up with the Cedar Valley SportsPlex to put on the first-ever Run the Bases 5K/10K in Downtown Waterloo. 225 runners participated, raising about $5,000 for Build Our Ballpark.
