5 boys headed to Ripken camp

BALTIMORE (WMAR) - It can be hard to stay active and involved for a lot of kids living through another hot summer, but thanks to a familiar name, 5 young men from Baltimore City are headed for a week long adventure that just may change their lives.

Ricky Lyons, Deontay Thorn, Terrell Jett, Alonzo Blue and Desmond Fortson are five young men who live in Gilmore Homes. It's a tough area to grow up in, they're the first to tell you that, but they still manage to have fun and are smart enough to seize a big opportunity.

"To get out of the community and learn some new stuff that most folks don't get a chance to," is how Janice Chan of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation describes the opportunity.

Baltimore City and the Cal Ripken Sr Foundation have joined forces to give these boys a week of overnight camp. Yes, they'll play baseball, but there's so much more.

Chan says that the camp will "teach kids about life. Teach kids and players about life, things like sportsmanship and things like decisions you make can affect things down the road."

The boys say they are ready for the entire challenge.

For parents, it's about more than just baseball.

"I want him to get something else out of it," says parent Kendra Wilson. "Being able to experience something different than where he's at."

Neighborhood leaders also help set realistic goals for the boys.

"It's gonna give them an opportunity to see the other side of life, something that they may not see otherwise," said Gilmore Homes resident advisor Joanne Wilson. "We figure we have a chance if not to turn them all around then just one, and we'll win."

Later this year the boys will take part in another baseball camp. That one is on 33rd Street at the site of the old Memorial Stadium.