Happy New Year

Sandlot Family,

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH !!!!!! 

Thank each and everyone of yall for making this past year so very special for my family and all the families The One Project and Sandlot Baseball have been able to touch !!!!! The beginning of 2017 started of pretty rough with my family and the negativity that filled my heart and mind was almost at a breaking point but as usual it was another test . A test to show me that I was getting in my own way, trying to take more control of my own situation rather than allow God to show me my path. Finances were at one point gone , bills had to be paid, food had to be bought and gas needed to be put in the cars . " Life lessons "  - most of yall have heard me talk about that this year and its something God has kept in my mind everyday. What can we learn everyday no matter how big or how small ? What can we do everyday to touch anothers life - everyday ? How do we hear What God is telling us everyday and how do we get out of our own way to hear His will more clearly ?
The end of January 2017 Jordan and I were at Walmart getting our groceries for the week and the lady ringing us up hit the total button. I pulled out our debit card , swiped it and BEEP - not enough funds ! My heart sank , the guilt poured over me as my son looked at me and asked " Dad we are out of money again ? " I can still feel that gut wrenching feeling as I type now , I looked down to him and said " yep buddy " then pushed the bagged food over to the wall and took his hand and started walking to our car . I was angry, frustrated , pissed even and ashamed that this happened and Jordan had to witness it. I explained to him that God takes care of our needs and that things will be ok. He and I talked about it on the way home, we talked about the emotions , what we are doing with The One Project and Sandlot and how it is what God wants us to do . I even asked him if he thought it was worth it - of course my son with a heart larger than himself said yes dad . We had 10 minutes or so to have a " Life Lesson " . We pulled in the driveway and I had so many thoughts running through my mind , I stopped the car short of the house and went to check the mail . One envelope was not a bill or advertisement . It was hand written on the outside and on the inside was a card and inside the card was a check for $275.00 written out to The One Project in memory of Tom Pena ( one of our angels ) . Tears filled my eyes and while I showed the card and contents to Jordan I joked " that couldnt have happened an hour ago GOD ? " My answer was immediate - NO - because you would not have had that LIFE LESSON you just had with your son . God didnt just send a check through another family, he kept me in check and also showed my son His will and way .

This year has taught me that everyday can be a Life Lesson and it comes with both positive and negative , an opportunity to learn, love and touch and more so, be touched. These moments have fueled the passion and also made me see even more the incredible need for community and togetherness we all must bring everyday . One of the most awesome things to make this happen has been each and everyone of yall who care so much for others and show it through your compassion and also gifts that God has given yall to make things better.

The One Project is - " using at least ONE gift from God to make our community stronger .
Sandlot Moto - Building Faith, Families and Communities ONE inning at a time.

Everyone of yall are doing that and this is the reason we are making a difference . 2017 brought higher registration numbers for Sandlot in both seasons, we assisted more families than any other year in one form or another , our scholarships for kids to play numbers were up in both seasons and that is awesome . This meant that we had families that might not have been able to afford the seasons be able to join us and be able to use at least One of their Gifts for our community and to grow along side all of us . Now when I say scholarship that doesnt mean there are finances set aside but what it does mean is that God provided and thats even more AMAZING .

Last month we did a Food Drive , Toys for tots drive and a huge Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who wanted to come and eat. This event was probably the biggest " Life Lesson " of the year for my family and hopefully some of yall . From the Monday before Thanksgiving at noon through Saturday we stayed at The Sandlot and did Gods work . Within a day and a half yall filled a 26 foot box truck full of food and we collected enough toys to fill our 29 foot rv three and a half times . Thanksgiving day we had over 10 turkeys donated that we deep fried and enough food and side dishes that after we feed everyone who came Thanksgiving morning we filled a van full and took it to a place that still had folks in line to eat . The food that was collected was all gone by Saturday mid day and was distributed to anyone who came out, a local church and a mission in Winston Salem ( I later found out that the remaining food given to this mission feed 188 families ). We had folks stay overnight with us including two Marines , we had families come out and cook dinner, sing , roast smores, and fellowship . We also created relationships that went past that week and are still ongoing and will be into 2018 . This was all possible because of yalls love for our community and devotion to being the hands and feet ( AND HEARTS ) of God and I am so honored to be a part of it . This was all done in less than a week in a little town in the heart of North Carolina . Now saying this  - WE CANNOT LET IT SLIP TO THE WAYSIDE . In fact, we have to do more and then incredible thing is it doesnt take as much effort as one might think.

Now I know in projects that we all do there is some sort of planning but for the most part we probably spend more time thinking than we we do doing . Again , for the most part - " 20 minutes thinking about it wastes 20 minutes of doing it !! ". We often ask ourselves " What can we DO ? " well the answer is actually in the question ! " You can DO !!! You can provide HOPE !!

You can pick up another 5 cans of .39 corn a week during your shopping and drop it off to someone who needs it or organization , you can spend your day off once a month doing for someone else, you can buy a $15.00 gift anytime during the year and drop it off to a needy families kid in December , you can donate your household items and clothes to other families , you can make a meal once a month for a family you know needs it and deliver it by hand , you can give someone a hug everyday , you can call a family member once a week to just check in , you can shake a veterans hand whom you might never have met and say " thanks for your service " , you can pray with someone or for someone everyday - it doesnt have to be long . Take your family with you , do these things in front of and with your family - continue to show them Gods Love for others through you .
We often feel that we have to be ALL IN 100 % of the time to make a difference but we dont . IF everyone in one county set aside $4.00 a week for extra food then nobody would go hungry and there would be more left over . In doing this I can promise you the Life Lessons you get will be far more greater than what you give and thats awesome in itself . You will get more than you give - yep GOD IS GOOD !!!

Let me put it into perspective about the smaller gifts . Sure it would be awesome if The ONE project and Sandlot Baseball got donations for $10,000 and up at a time but if every person in Forsyth county and Guilford County donated $1 ( ONE ) dollar a year we could feed , clothe and house over 200 families in need plus do more than we have ever done in our community . $1 per person . ONE !

As i sit here on New Years Eve in my chair beside the window to the front yard I noticed all the bare trees and bushes and can even sense how cold it is outside , but this morning I had the overwhelming sense of comfort that even this is GODS plan , The trees and bushes will have leaves the cold will give way to warmth , the sun will always rise and set and new life is created everyday. The sun started to climb over the buildings across the street and even now I can feel the sunshine in my chair. Another Life Lesson that even in the cold and bareness the Warmth of God is with me , that even when a cloud shades that warmth the wind of God will blow the cloud away for the light to shine again. I gain even more comfort knowing that my family is here inside this house and that my Sandlot Family is also close by . How can we make others in our community feel the love and safety and warmth that we all have because of each other in 2018 .

May you all have a blessed NEW YEAR and from Shelby, Jordan Michaela and Myself - We Love Each and Everyone of yall.

Lets Play Ball,

Coach Mike

Hey Sandlot Nation , Wow what an off season , for that matter what a time since May . So many things have been happening in our world and it has not only been a blessing but also a struggle .

Many folks have been asking me what The One Project and Sandlot Baseball are and basically there is no short answer because of all the things we do so I am going to explain it now .

The One Project is a Christian Non Profit here in Kernersville , North Carolina that is based mainly around youth but involves so many other things . We are , as best as can be , an immediate response group to our communities needs and an outlet for assistance for any and all families God blesses us to meet . We can and have done just about anything in the last 5 years from counsel youth, tutor youth, plan functions with youth and their families to building handicap ramps and bathrooms and other household construction for the needy and single mothers . We have provided groceries , repaired vehicles , donated vehicles that were donated to us , installed new water lines in a families house when the existing ones cracked under the slab and the cost was to extreme to tear them up and replace them .We have collected clothing for children and adults and furnished houses for those in need . We visit a great deal of the elementary and middle schools in the are eating lunches with our ball players ( Sandlot - Ill get to that soon ) and while at these schools we learn about other families in need .

We are advocates not only for students but teachers and administration who work so hard at their positions but cant do the things we can because we are not restricted to school policies and all the rules they are . Again - I will blog about that very soon and it will amaze you if you dont know about it already . We supply what we can for teachers and their classrooms , we have provided lunches for some of our youth ( you will see me say our kids - we consider all of the youth we come into contact with as ours ). Most of the youth we meet we use our Sandlot baseball program as avenue to get to know these kids and their families and through love and guidance we try to the best of our ability to make them stronger and more self confident and leaders in a very harsh world. We advocate against bullying ( I was a victim of bullying for many years and know the affects it has on our kids ). We try to teach all of our kids about respect towards others , especially family members.

The One Project is using at least ONE gift from God to helping our community and its needs . We have assisted others in finding employment through our contacts , counseling , trustworthy and honest businesses to work on both household , business and vehicle needs. We also counsel others to find their passion and gifts from God to go out into their community and assist others . We visit hospitals and have been blessed to see first hand the awesome work of our health care professionals and also be able to be a part of the families who are sick and need a comforting word or hug . We have fed the local children's hospital and their families whose kids are sick. We have been able to go into the rooms and hold these beautiful children and see if there is anything we can do . The One Project is a daily changing entity whose direction is from God . I have been at a meeting in Wilmington on a weekend and heard of a little boy who was having a major surgery at UNC Chapel Hill the following Monday - I got into my car and went to the hospital with only a name . I parked my car walked into the hospital got onto the elevator and pushed a floor , not knowing where this child or family was, and when I stepped off the elevator and asked a nurse where I might find this family she pointed behind her to a group of folks sitting on some couches , The Family . I then was welcomed with open arms and sat with these folks even getting to met this young boy before he went into surgery. I had to leave for lunch and asked the family if there was anything special he wanted when he came out of surgery ? The family told me of a certain ice cream cake that he liked and I then proceeded to a local Food Lion where I found the cake . There were no coolers on the shelf and when I asked the manager if he had any and told him who the cake was for he told a stock boy to go into the back , get a cooler and bring it to me . He then told me no charge for either and I promptly went back to the hospital to deliver the cake .

I say everything The One Project and Sandlot Baseball is directed by God because who would ever have thought of building a two baseball fields on a horse pasture donated by an incredible man and his son and after 4 years go from 60 kids to over 180 and we arent planning on slowing down .

Sandlot Baseball - Building Faith , Families and Community ONE inning at a time - a boy is it true . I have now coached for over 25 years and have always wanted a venue for children and families the was more about building self esteem and leadership rather than wins and losses while still teaching fundamentals and the love of the game to all who come through our program and Sandlot has been accomplishing that every season . We are on a old horse pasture and 90 percent of everything out there has been donated , we have never turned a child or family away due to finances and we never will . Every child from 3 years old to 16 has wears the same uniform and we play games between teams within our own league . We have handicapped and non handicapped children and each child is treated equally , there is no foul language and no ones yells at anyone out of anger or hate . There are two main reasons Sandlot works and has been as successful as it is - ONE - GOD , Two - our families . Our families are incredible and no matter if they are a first season family or have been with us for the entire time of Sandlot everyone feels welcome . We basically ask everyone to see where they are comfortable and want to use at least ONE gift of God withing our program and let the spirit take over. We have had a few companies step up and assist us and it has been great . Some have donated money others have taken the time to come out and build dugouts , benches, install things we need along with donate equipment when we needed it . One of our local television stations has even been so wonderful to come out and do two stories on us - WXII 12 out of Winston Salem . Two radio personalities , Bill Flynn and Robyn - Lady Divine have allowed us to come onto their program to spread the word .

Before May I was doing home construction as a full time job along with taking care of everything needed for both of our projects and the frustration came to a head around April of 2016 when I just felt that what I was doing during the day was paying the bills but it was not doing all that we needed to do as a program . I could not reach more youth and families , I could not see what God had for me everyday but what I was doing and needed to step out further in faith and make The One Project Full time . Well God answered in a most unusual way . I got into a vehicle accident ( not my fault ) in May 2016 and everything seemed to STOP . I have always been on the go, using my hands and arms to build, rake, clean, hug, make a living , etc  and this accident stopped it . With a neck injury and another diagnosis that causes my arms and hands to numb all the time it made life and what we were doing very difficult but we carried on . It made our Project be a full time job since I was no longer able to do what I was doing to make a living . I could not pull the trigger so to speak on making it full time so GOD did .The sacrifices my family has made ( my wife and two children ) have been incredible and I cannot thank them enough for their support even when they probably were not sure what was going on . We have lost so much in material possessions but I have gained even more in spiritual and I will tell you these past five years have been the most gratifying but also the toughest of my 47 year old life .  As an organization it still boggles my mind for what we have accomplished and for those we have reached . The people who have been involved and assisted us with our needs as an organization have all been blessings ( I hope you already know who you are ) but we have to grow and we have to do it now . A very dear friend and the other half of our board posted what I am copying below on Facebook in December and it really made me think .

This is an organization that is truly a grass roots Christian community assistance organization that operates on a shoe string budget. I'll unabashedly admit, I've got some mad accounting skills, but I haven't been able figure out a way to calculate their ratio of money spent to the positive impact on people right here in our community. I know that if I could calculate...let's call it the "Positive Impact Ratio", it'd be off the charts. 
 The baseball league for the kids is not only an outreach program in and of itself, which is an amazing thing, but is also a way to connect with families in need. If you're wanting to catch up on some feel-good tax-deductible contributions for 2016 I am asking that you follow the link below where you can learn more about the organization. There's a donation button on the website and a receipt will be provided for all donations.
 If you can't make a donation we ask that you include this organization, and those that they serve, in your prayers.

" Positive Impact Ratio " perfect !!! I need your help in making our Positive Impact Ratio grow and thrive . We have put in the hours , we have the people in place we have the passion and we see the needs of our youth and families everyday but to reach this - WE NEED YOU !!!! We have to have the finances plain and simple . We need to make a larger impact on our community and those communities around us . We need to feed kids and families , we need to make a difference everyday to someone, we need to give hope to complete strangers and show them that WE care.

We need you to donate PLEASE !!!!!  You can go to our website www.sandlotfamily.com and use the paypal button , you can swing by sandlot , or you can send anything you can to 490 Little John Road, Kernersville NC 27284 . ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE !!!!!

It doesnt matter if you live in the area or are on the other side of the country or world - You can make a difference and we hope you assist us in our effort . You can also sponsor a child for the season or the year at The Sandlot . We have never turned a child away due to finances and we never will .

PLEASE ASSIST US IN MAKING OUR " Positive Impact Ratio " one to be remembered for a very long time .

Thanks and Let's Play Ball .

Coach Mike Isaacson
Director - The One Project / Sandlot Baseball
mike@1project.org
336-707-1655

We have several other projects in the works and more information coming very soon .

2017 Sandlot Spring Season Registration is OPEN !!!

Oh yeah , Oh yeah , Lets play ball !!!!

www.sandlotfamily.com

Hope everyone has had a wonderful couple of months and its now time to get back to some incredible family baseball . Shelby, Michaela, Jordan and I are so excited about this upcoming season with the new improvements coming to The Sandlot . Please register now at www.sandlotfamily.com .

Our program is for all youth from 3/4 to 16 years of age with one practice a week and one game a week for all tee ball and modified tee ballers. Coach Pitch and Kid pitch will have special practices to improve knowledge of game and skills . We will also be having a surprise for our Kid Pitch group and that announcement will be coming soon . So sign up NOW !!!!!!

If there are any questions please feel free to call , email or text myself or Shelby at anytime .

Coach Mike Isaacson 336-707-1655 / mike@1project.org

Shelby Isaacson 336-707-1901 / shelby@1project.org

You can also keep up with everything by liking our Facebook page - Michael Isaacson and Sandlot family and The One Project.

Any inquiries about sponsorships and providing scholarships can be answered by contacting myself or Shelby at anytime .

See yall very soon at The Sandlot - May God Bless and Lets Play Ball .

Coach Mike