Only a year ago, pessimism and hints of panic lined the tone of voice Ken Weaver used when discussing Yakima Youth Baseball and the organization's future.

The president had lost
longtime volunteer and go-to-guy Mel Moore as board members dwindled and the budget sported more red numbers than black. So, as the 2006 Yakima Pepsi Beetles' season lurched to a start that summer, Weaver knew some changes must be made, especially on some of the mistakes he places on himself.

"We were having a real tough time getting volunteers," said Weaver, who has served 17 years on the board, eight of them as president. "To a large extent, we were part of the problem because we weren't doing a good job educating member parents about our needs.

"This goes back further to the radically diminished board we suffered through during the late (1990s) until 2005. ... We lost touch with parents, the budget spiraled out of control and parents thought since they were paying high fees they were doing their share. In fact, that is just a fraction of our annual costs."

The departure of Moore, who often did every chore or fundraiser imaginable with the help of his wife Vicki, provided the wake-up call. Weaver praises Moore as a "saint" and still spies him helping out around Parker Field, but admits that the whole organization took his altruism for granted. Something the group no longer could do after he left to spend more time on his real estate career and with his family.

So the board raised the player fees from $750 to $1,000 last year — the price is expected to be $1,400 next season — to spread the message that costs were higher than participants thought. Players and parents cut into or paid that bill in full through working different fundraising ventures or filling the plethora of volunteer jobs behind the scenes.

Better use of the team representative position — started two years ago to serve as a liaison between the board and the parents — also helped point out the need for more volunteers and fundraising to keep the organization going. All of the moves paid off with what Weaver describes as Yakima Youth Baseball's best volunteer year since 1995 and first balanced budget since he joined the organization.

A board that was once 30 strong before dwindling to six about two years ago returned to 25 this season, and around 20 to 30 different parents attend monthly organization meetings. The key focus now is making sure all the different duties are split up so no volunteers become overworked, or feel unappreciated or jilted by Yakima Youth Baseball.

Different board members will be responsible for running a day of the Washington Senior Legion State Tournament, which runs Saturday through Thursday at Parker Field and Carlon Park in Selah. Since 16 teams are attending this year, Yakima Youth Baseball is sharing host duties with the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak.

And while the pessimism and panic are no longer in his tone, Weaver wants to keep all this positive momentum going for the organization. He also doesn't want things to get as bad again as they were a year ago.

"I pray that we rebuild the old guard of folks who have kids who leave but stay on (to volunteer)," Weaver said. "I hope they realize they won't have to put their lives on hold anymore to be part of youth baseball and to stay on even after their child is gone