SPECIAL APPRECIATION AND THANKS

Dear Kansas City Community, Thank you for hosting the 2019 Gay Softball World Series. Your open arms, hard work and commitment have provided a space for softball and the LGBTQ+ community to come together. Not only is this the largest annual LGBTQ+ single-sport, week-long athletic competition in the world but even more so, this is a time for teams from all over the continent to come together, build relationships, discover community, be their authentic selves and play a heck of a lot of softball.

This year’s Gay Softball World Series could not happen without the help of countless individuals and organizations. We are thankful to NAGAAA for putting the Gay Softball World Series together for the past 42 years. We are thankful for this year’s board and dedicated members of the Kansas City community for the two years of planning they devoted to coordinate this week-long endeavor. We cannot emphasize enough how instrumental the sponsorships, donations and partnerships from the community, large businesses, small businesses, grassroots organizations and the Heart of America Softball League were in putting together this monumental event.

Kansas City, you are more than just our host city; you have become a home. Hosts merely give a space for people to use until their time is up whereas homes are a promise that people can always come back and feel supported, loved and celebrated. Our softball games take place on your fields but our memories from this series exist on and off those diamonds. You are right to be proud of your community. We are honored you gave us the opportunity to explore all your spaces have to offer. Your kindness and hard work have not gone unnoticed. We are indebted for this opportunity to hold the 2019 Gay Softball World Series here.

Sincerely,