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FDDOC and FungoMan LLC Prove Collaborative Approach to Connect Corporations, Families and Communities
With thousands of teens left unsupervised after school, many idle youths become a threat to public safety. FungoMan’s Automated Baseball Practice Machine offers those youths the advantage of technology, teaching more than just baseball skills.
July 19, 2007 – SHREVEPORT, LA – Nearly three in 10 Louisiana teens—are left unsupervised after school three or more days each week, according to FDDOC statistics released today. FDDOC Ministry, Inc. (Fully Devoted Developer of Children) http://www.fddoc.org, and FungoMan LLC, https://fungoman.com, announced a collaboration to present “How you practice is just as important as how you play” after-school program.
“It’s not uncommon for a young person to dream of becoming a professional sports figure. Although we can’t all arrive at that professional sports pinnacle, an after-school program in Shreveport will help young people pursue their passion for sports while using technology to develop educational soft skills,” states Romy Cucjen, inventor and President of FungoMan LLC. Focusing on advanced technology, instructors at the program teach students baseball fielding, hitting, teamwork and communication,” Cucjen added.
Using the FungoMan Automated Baseball Machine’s technology to develop baseball skills is just one of the practices featured in the model program. “The FungoMan technology can be used for activities such as fielding a baseball to learning how to hit. The program is designed for staff to be on the field to teach and encourage youth to play baseball by reinforcing learning,” says Cucjen, a former professional baseball player. “We hope that providing a sense of accomplishment may have bearing on completing school assignments or reinforcing learning down the road,” added Cucjen.
When after-school programs are not fully funded, local law enforcement loses one of its most powerful anti-crime weapons.
“Many people believe kids are most likely to get in trouble at night or on the weekends, but it is really the after-school hours that law enforcement worries about,” said Pastor Brian Hollins, President of the FDDOC. “I know that when after-school programs are funded and more kids have something to do, we’re going to see that spike in juvenile crime start to diminish.”
Hollins cited several key findings from a new survey of Louisiana teens, ages 12 to 17, as evidence of the need for after-school programs to prevent juvenile crime.
POLL KEY FINDINGS
Teens who are left unsupervised are:
• three times more likely to engage in criminal behavior;
• more than twice as likely to hang out with gang members;
• more than three times as likely to smoke marijuana; and
• more than five times as likely to use drugs other than marijuana.
In addition, in the past year, one in five of the teens surveyed had engaged in activities that could have resulted in arrest, and one in five had been the victim of a crime.
Why an After-School Program?
• To improve academic achievement
• To help working families
• To support single-parent families because they are increasing in numbers
• To keep kids safe
• Because 70% of black babies and 19% of white babies are born out of wedlock
• Because only 34% of all children born in America will live with both biological parents through age 18
• Because 72% of mothers currently hold jobs
National Center for Children in Poverty Facts
• Boys without fathers are two times as likely to drop out of school as boys with fathers.
• These boys are two times as likely to go to jail.
• They are four times as likely to need treatment for emotional and behavioral problems.
FDDOC After-School Activities to Keep Youth Engaged and Off the Streets.
“This is just a broad look at how the private sector and faith-based organizations are addressing a societal need that is not being met with enough federal funding. As the issue of after-school continues to grow in importance, we hope this effort will provide a valuable roadmap for increasing interest and effectiveness of corporate investment in this critical area,” said Brian Hollins, President and Chairman of FDDOC Ministry, Inc. “FungoMan LLC has learned that the needs of after-school are a societal need,” concluded Hollins.
“Sports have long been a part of after-school programs,” says FDDOC program director Kendra Miletello. “They are often key to engaging students and keep them interested in after-school activities. Sports can play a role in students’ academic success, and often the skills developed in the arts help improve self-confidence and cultivate self-discipline,” Miletello explains.
About the FDDOC
FDDOC Ministry, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c(3) community/faith-based organization in Shreveport, offering after-school tutoring and enrichment program at five Shreveport schools: Midway Elementary Professional Development School, Oak Park Elementary, Mooretown Elementary, Sunset Acres Elementary, and Bethune Middle School.
The nonprofit organization, Fully Devoted Developer of Children Ministry, Inc., known by its initials of FDDOC, operate a 21st Century Community Learning Center at these schools. Organized in 2003 by Sal Miletello and Brian Hollins, their dream of helping children in inner city areas actually started years ago. Revitalization of the neighborhood into a community again is the main purpose, stated Hollins. “It starts with education and to partner with these schools to add value to the education process is the dream being realized.”
After-school tutoring in math and reading are the main essentials of each program; however, enrichments add critical soft skills to develop each child’s purpose. FDDOC offers baseball, golf, ballet and dance, piano lessons, video program and editing, computer club, online radio, recording studio, art, fine arts, leadership, mentoring, entrepreneurial, choir and other activities. Many of these enrichment activities have corporate partners to carry the vision.
About FungoMan, LLC
FungoMan, LLC provides automated technology coaching solutions to control the motion and speed of the throwing head. A revolutionary ball-feeding system ensures consistently placed baseballs that can fire every three seconds with speeds over 100 mph.
Zero-defect manufacturing processes at FungoMan, LLC demand intensive employee training and comprehensive product testing procedures, rigorous rating standards, and an overall commitment to quality. These corporate values have built a reputation for exceptionally flexible, effective and innovative products for coaches and players as well. The company’s Automated Baseball Practice Machine is a suite of high-performance, highly reliable, interoperable software components and hardware designed for applications to aid coaches to run “game-like” practices while remaining on the field with each player.
Romy Cucjen, president of the Shreveport, LA-based company, is a former professional baseball player and high school baseball coach. He and co-inventor, former professional football player, Denny Duron, envisioned what a baseball practice machine “should do” in May of 2002.
Since then, with the start of a new prototype built with 3D engineering and modeling software from the ground up, investors have fueled the development of this technology, which will benefit multiple sports applications.
Company headquarters are in Shreveport, Louisiana.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Press interested in additional information can visit the FungoMan Web site to view sales videos of the machine or download literature at https://fungoman.com.