2026 Little League Community Heroes of the Year: Meet All Five Winners

1- Theo Price: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Theo Price was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called chondrosarcoma in October 2024. He went through multiple surgeries and had to re-learn how to walk after each procedure. His second surgery in April 2025 cleared him again. He is currently cancer-free and playing competitive baseball for the first time in nearly two years.

Through all of it, Theo kept showing up for his league. He keeps score at games and helps run drills at practice between medical appointments. He launched Swings4Theo in partnership with the Fort Wayne TinCaps. The nonprofit gives free tickets and gift cards to families of children battling cancer, illness, or disability. Detroit Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry has worn a Swings4Theo bracelet at every game since meeting Theo at a baseball camp.

This year, Theo hosted his annual community baseball tournament to raise money for the foundation. He is 14 years old and still playing the game that kept him going through treatment.

2- Kennedy Fees: Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Kennedy Fees won the 2025 Little League Softball World Series with her team. When she is not competing, she works to raise awareness for Type 1 Diabetes. Kennedy lives with the condition herself and knows firsthand what young athletes with T1D face on and off the field every single day.

She and her mom run the Strikeout Diabetes softball tournament. The event brings together youth athletes with Type 1 Diabetes and raises funds for organizations working toward a cure. Kennedy also runs the Kennedy, Easton, and Elle Box Adventure. Through this program, she builds care boxes with her community and delivers them to children and families staying in the Endocrine Unit at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.

3- Beverly Bogar: Pasadena, California

Beverly Bogar is the Treasurer of West Pasadena Little League. She is retired and has lived in Pasadena her entire life. When the league faced potential closure, she stepped in as League President and led the push to save it. She succeeded and kept the program alive for the next generation of players in her community.

Outside the diamond, Bogar actively advocates for housing equity and shares personal stories of growing up Black in Pasadena. She speaks openly about racial discrimination and housing inequality in her city. She also works with local police and supports homeless residents in her neighborhood throughout the year.

4- Kevin Garrison: Charlotte, North Carolina

Kevin Garrison handles marketing and public relations for Coulwood Oakdale Little League in Charlotte. When Hurricane Helene hit in 2024, flooding roads and cutting off access to basic supplies, Garrison did not wait for someone else to step up. He saw families trapped without food or water and decided his league community could help.

Garrison put together a team of Coulwood Oakdale players and volunteers. They delivered daily food, water, and essential supplies to people who had no way to get out. He kept this going for two full weeks without stopping. Every player in his league watched a coach show them what real community service looks like when it matters most.

5- Alyssa Lopez: Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Alyssa Lopez directs the Challenger Division at Sunset Little League in Rio Rancho. The Challenger Division gives players with physical and intellectual disabilities a full baseball and softball experience. Lopez works every week to make sure every participant feels welcomed and included at each practice, team event, and game throughout the season.

She has become one of the most important figures at Sunset LL and serves as a role model for players and volunteers across the entire program. Outside of Little League, Lopez volunteers with the local Special Olympics. Her goal never changes: every athlete deserves a real place to compete in the sport they love.