Fountain Valley (Calif.) Los Amigos High needed some help. The school's baseball program, fresh of a first playoff run in the school's 30-year history, had its equipment room raided and cleaned out by a crew of thieves. Needless to say, with ongoing budget shortfalls what they are, there was little chance Los Amigos could afford to replace all the equipment that was stolen itself.
That's when the community stepped in, donating all kinds of funds and items to the program. That, in turn, helped grab the attention of Major League Baseball, which decided to just take care of most of the rest itself.
As reported by the Orange County Register and a variety of other Los Angeles outlets, MLB stepped forward to donate $4,000 to the Southern California school after hearing of the theft which rocked the baseball program. MLB's donation followed an aggregate $3,000 which was raised by a combination of other organizations, principally the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Diamond Sports, a sports equipment company.
In a unique twist, all the funding that has flooded the school in an effort to keep the team afloat for the fall ball season may actually put Los Amigos in even better equipment than it had previously. According to Los Angeles CBS affiliate KTLA, the school estimated that it had approximately $4,000 of used equipment stolen from its locker room on September 3.
Considering the fact that it has since gained $7,000 in donations -- with more money possible at a forthcoming bbq lunch -- Los Amigos could end up with substantially more money, and better equipment, than it started with.
Perhaps that's fitting for a hard luck school which certainly didn't deserve the theft that befell it. While officials reportedly think that the theft was "an inside job," that did little to help get the team's players back on the field.
Luckily for all, the Angels and Major League Baseball did a lot more to help, and Los Amigos will play on.
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