It’s another home run as Friendship Village of Schaumburg and members of Schaumburg Boomers enjoy their fifth summer together. In a win-win relationship between the two community-oriented organizations, Friendship Village is hosting three members of the professional baseball team for the summer.

The idea for Friendship Village to host players came about four years ago as Boomer management was seeking housing during the baseball season. Staying with host families helps defray costs for the players who are young and come from throughout the U.S. Friendship Village, which promotes a healthy, active, and engaging lifestyle, enthusiastically embraced the idea of hosting players. “It’s a wonderful chance for Friendship Village residents to experience the excitement of the young players as they fulfill their lifelong dream of playing professional baseball,” said Patricia Mash, vice president of planning and marketing for Friendship Senior Options. “Each year has been a resounding success so we’re excited to repeat it again this year.”

The 2017 Boomers’ lineup staying this season at Friendship Village features pitchers Jake Joyce and Anthony Smith and third base player Kenny Towns.

On June 20^th, Boomers celebrated Friendship Night in honor of Friendship Village. The event included residents of the retirement community participating in throwing out the first pitch, serving as coach-of-the-day, and a home run derby.

The Friendship Village Choir performed the National Anthem, and sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch.

“Through this partnership, the Friendship Village residents are given access to their local baseball team in unique ways such as going to multiple games, participating in different ways, and having a behind the scenes tour of the stadium,” said Mike McCann, lifestyles director for Friendship Senior Options. “We feel this partnership provides opportunities for residents to participate in athletics, continue to be connected with their local communities, and provide unique social engagement opportunities. This is a wonderful community partnership for everybody!”