More than a Softball Scholarship

Sometimes things come together at just the right time. Call it good fortune. Call it serendipity. Perhaps it’s best described as good things coming to good people.

Just ask the Taft family about it. They will tell you that the Hope For The Warriors New Balance Military Youth Athletic Scholarship arrived at exactly the right time to help their teenage daughter Clara keep her softball dreams alive and reignite her passion for the sport and for life.

First, a little back story on the Tafts. There’s dad, Ward; mom, Amy; sister Isabella; and of course, 16-year-old Clara.

The close-knit foursome is a proud military family. Ward served in the United States Navy for 20 years as medical support for small teams. Over those 20 years, he deployed 14 times and had four combat tours.

Looking back, Amy says even though times were often difficult during those two decades, they loved military life.

“We were able to meet new people, explore the world, and support our local communities,” she recalled.

Along the way, Clara developed a love of softball, a passion she hopes will help take her to the college level. But it’s more than a game for her—it’s therapy.

“Softball has always been my place to escape everyday life,” Clara said. “While I am on the softball field, I have a group of girls that don’t need to know all about my backstory. We are just there to play the game. No explanations. No worries.

“My first coach used to always tease me about ‘not thinking, just doing,’ but the reality of it is exactly that. When I am on the field, I don’t have to think. I just have to play and give everything I have at that moment to make the play. For me, softball is life and where I get away from life.”

Clara’s softball journey was progressing nicely, moving in an arc of improvement and escape and victory and fun. Then COVID-19 hit. Nearly everything came to a grinding halt, including Clara’s beloved game.

“Softball has always been Clara’s escape. When the world gets crazy, she heads to the ball field or grabs her bat,” said Amy. “During COVID, it was tough seeing her lost. She lost her motivation to do almost everything as the world shut down.”

Clara stayed connected with her softball family virtually, but there were no games, no practices, no laughing, no reason to keep her skills honed.

Her coaches came to the rescue though. They figured out a way to spark their team’s passion virtually.

“Her coaches rallied around the girls and started getting them together virtually. They would have drill competitions, plank contests, you name it,” said Amy. “Slowly, she came out of her low spot and started preparing for a return to the field. It was almost as if softball became her lifeblood that got her through every day of lockdown.”

As the pandemic wore on, in-person, on-the-field softball slowly came back. But only in the travel team version, which can be pricey. Clara tried out for a travel squad and made it.

“The high-level travel teams were literally the only teams playing. Clara made a team, but then we had to figure out how to pay for her to play,” said Amy.

And that’s when the stars aligned for Clara and her parents. The Hope For The Warriors New Balance Military Youth Athletic Scholarship they had applied for earlier arrived. You can call it good fortune. You can call it serendipity. The Tafts called it a blessing.

“These funds came at just the right time and allowed her to get back on the field as quickly as possible,” said her mom. “The travel team has given her exposure to many colleges that could potentially offer her a place to play in the future.”

And it reunited Clara with her passion, returning her to play the game without explanations or worries. This opportunity was so much more than a simple softball scholarship.

Applications are now being accepted for the Hope For The Warriors New Balance Military Youth Athletic Scholarship. Multiple scholarships will be awarded in 2021 for athletic sports seasons to children 17 years-old and younger, whose parent served in the U.S. military after Sept. 11, 2001.

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on eligibility and responses to three essay questions. Scholarship payments will be directly sent to the applicable athletic organization.

There is no application deadline for the scholarships; it is a first come, first serve opportunity.

To apply for a Hope For The Warriors New Balance Military Youth Athletic Scholarship visit, hopeforthewarriors.org/applyforservices.