Community Heroes

Volunteer and Player Recognition

In Little League®, everyone has a position to play and it’s the more than one million dedicated volunteers who help make the Little League experience so memorable in communities all over the world. From first responders who take time to drive the fire truck in your Opening Ceremonies to the dedicated teacher who spends time volunteering in your concession stand each summer, every Little League program has a community hero who helps to inspire Little Leaguers® and rally the community together. The Community Heroes recognition program, Presented by New York Life, helps to honor those dedicated individuals who not only volunteer their time at your local Little League program, but also contribute in other ways to make the community better. A full list of previous Community Hero honorees can be found at the bottom of this page, and be sure to nominate a volunteer from your league today for a chance to be recognized as well!

Submit A Nomination

Based on the nominations received, Little League International will recognize a number of these individuals on its official social media platforms (@LittleLeague) and leagues are encouraged to share these stories on their platforms as well using #LLCommunityHero.

Community Heroes of the Year: Volunteers who are nominated for the Community Heroes program throughout the year are also eligible to be recognized as Community Heroes of the Year at the Little League World Series, with a varying number of individuals earning the honor each year. Recipients of the Community Heroes of the Year award will also be presented with a $1,000 grant to their local league/district as a thank you for their dedicated efforts.

2023 Community Heroes of the Year 2022 Community Heroes of the Year

Below is a list of all the Community Heroes who have been nominated and recognized by Little League since 2020:

Community Heroes (2024)

  • Daniel Clarke

  • Vicky Turner

  • Steven Sundbeck

  • Anastasia Wachter

  • Jerry Bush

  • Emma Stagg

  • Matt Payton

  • Nicole Timms

  • Angela Richards

  • Jody Mulloy

  • Kathie Hucko

  • Tabitha Browne

  • Charles Carpenter

  • Anastasia Colt

  • Michael Millonzi

  • Brianne Henry

  • Christopher Owens

  • Kathryn Smart

  • Kent Flippen

  • Kristina Deatrick

  • Kurt Lehman

  • Roger Foster

Community Heroes (2023)

  • Dennis Noonan

    Dennis Noonan Community Hero
  • Nate Clever

  • Dan Wright

    Dan Wright Community Hero
  • Matt Gayheart

    Matt Gayheart Community Hero Graphic
  • Michael DeLima

  • Gary Apel

    Gary Apel Community Hero Graphic
  • Bernard Smalley

    Bernard Smalley Community Hero Graphic
  • Charlie Howard

    Charlie Howard Community Hero
  • Valerie Malensosky

    Valerie Malensosky Community Hero
  • Angie Kogovsek

    Angie Kogovsek Community Hero
  • Maggie Lloyd

    Maggie Lloyd Community Hero
  • Jean Toler

    Jean Toler Community Hero
  • Rachael Dooley

    Rachael Dooley Community Hero
  • Matthew Mitacek

    Matthew Mitacek Community Heroes Graphic
  • Rob Taylor

    Rob Taylor Community Hero
  • Brian Jeffcoat

    Brian Jeffcoat Community Hero
  • John Machado

    John Machado Community Hero
  • Sarah Preiss-Farzanegan

    Sarah Preiss-Farzanegan Community Hero
  • Darrin Besecheck

    Darrin Besescheck Community Hero
  • Robert Bedwell

    Robert Bedwell Community Hero
  • Kristina Keaton

    Kristina Keaton Community Hero

  • Leslie Bentle

    Leslie Bentle Community Hero
  • Christine DiNicola

    Christine DiNicola Community Hero Graphic
  • Carrson Ferguson

    Carrson Ferguson Community Hero
  • Brian Green

    Brian Green Community Hero
  • Eric Horn

    Eric Horn Community Hero
  • Ashley Carter

    Ashley Carter Community Hero
  • Chris Hirano

    Chris Hirano Community Hero
  • Paul Maldonado

    Paul Maldonado Community Hero Recognition
  • Brandon Shank

  • Sean Dunn

  • Sarah Layfield

  • Tim Healy

  • Mike Hampton

  • McCall Allen

  • Derek Williams

  • Stephanie Nalley

  • Chris Van Eerde

  • Andrea Vermillion

  • Ricky Brown Jr.

  • Jackie Ryan

  • James Wright

  • Ashley Dean

  • Kooch Chu

  • Stacy Greenwood

  • Russel Clark

  • Katie Kelley

  • Michael Delucia

  • Christina Henderson

  • Richard Tamburrino

  • Dede Smith

  • Marco Velarde Jr.

  • Danielle Eastman

Community Heroes (2020-22)

  • Brittany Bennett

    Brittany Bennett
  • Jamie Borden

    Jamie Borden
  • Mike Harper

    Mike Harper
  • Grosse Point Farms-City Little League

    Grosse Point Farms-City Little League
  • Lindsey Schneider

    Lindsey Schneider
  • Tom Skull

    Tom Skull
  • Dr. Eric Snyder

    Dr. Eric Snyder
  • Lisa Ballard

    Lisa Ballard Community Heroes
  • Wayne Loving

    Wayne Loving Community Hero
  • Rich Arndt

    Rich Arndt Community Hero
  • Carolyn Taggart

    Carolyn Taggart
  • James Beckum

    James Beckum
  • Joe Patterson

    Joe Patterson
  • Marge Sabathia

    Marge Sabathia
  • Peter McFarland

    Peter McFarland
  • Rich Ealy

    Rich Ealy
  • Rolland Slade

    Rolland Slade
  • Dwight & Iris Raiford

  • Tony Richardson

  • Kori Gordon

    Kori Gordon Community Hero
  • Laura Peterson

  • Julie Shive

    Julie Shive
  • Courtney Taylor

    Courtney Taylor Community Hero
  • John Hill

    John Hill Community Hero
  • Mark Cekala

    Mark Cekala Community Hero
  • John Vogelsang

    John Vogelsang Community Hero
  • Ethan Strikowski

    Ethan Strikowski Community Hero
  • Brandon Schrawder

    Brandon Schrawder Community Hero
  • Heather Herling

    Heather Herling Community Hero
  • Erika Garcia-Ciucci

    Erika Garcia-Ciucci Community Hero
  • Eric Brungard

    Eric Brungard Community Hero
  • Rochelle Donahue

    Rochelle Donahue Community Hero
  • Michael DeSena

    Michael Desena Community Hero
  • Tim Harkins

  • John Mashburn

    John Mashburn Community Heroes
  • Kyle Matti

    Kyle Matti Community Hero
  • Charlie Clark

    Charlie Clark Community Hero
  • Brendan Platt

    Brendan Platt Community Hero
  • Anna Askins

    Anna Askins Community Hero
  • Ray Jackson

    Ray Jackson Community Hero
  • David Rojo

    David Rojo Community Hero
  • Michelle VanWinkle

    Michelle VanWinkle Community Heroes
  • Aaron Ortiz

    Aaron Ortiz Community Hero
  • C.R. Moultry

    C.R. Moultry Community Hero
  • Tabitha Taylor

  • Bobby Fortier

    Bobby Fortier Community Hero
  • Mayra Martinez

    Mayra Martinez Community Hero
  • Luke McQueen

  • Jeff Jaynes

    Jeff Jaynes Community Hero
  • Angelo Cutaia

    Angelo Cutaia Community Hero
  • Marcus Turnquist

    Marcus Turnquist Community Hero
  • Steve Harper

    Steve Harper Community Hero
  • Alissa Canter

    Alissa Canter Community Hero
  • Josh Wortham

    Josh Wortham
  • Montana Dye

    Montana Dye Community Hero
  • Carli McCrea

    Carli McCrea Community Hero
  • Mike Snead

    Mike Snead Community Hero
  • Kristin Rocha

  • Meredith Odell

    Meredith Odell Community Hero
  • Jeffrey Church

    Jeffrey Church Community Hero
  • Brian Deem

    Brian Deem Community Hero
  • Maddie Johnson

    Maddie Johnson Community Hero
  • Eric Jones

    Eric Jones Community Hero
  • Brian Gibson

    Brian Gibson Community Hero
  • Meghan Kegley

    Meghan Kegley Community Hero
  • Jennifer Rampolla

    Jennifer Rampolla Community Hero
  • Shane Sholl

    Shane Sholl Community Hero
  • Raynaldo Arrellin

    Raynaldo Arrellin Community Hero
  • Matt Lee

    Matt Lee
  • Aly Guerrero

    Aly Guerrero Community Hero
  • Fred Brown

    Fred Brown Community Hero
  • Vanessa Brubaker

    Vanessa Brubaker Community Hero
  • Joshua Hernandez

    Joshua Hernandez Community Hero
  • Keith Barnes

    Keith Barnes Community Hero
  • Evangeline Iarossi

    Evangeline Iarossi Community Hero
  • Shannon Wallace

    Shannon Wallace Community Hero
  • Desmond Bittner

    Desmond Bittner Community Hero
  • Andrew Ahlers

    Andrew Ahlers Community Hero
  • Isaac Yoshinga

    Isaac Yoshinaga Community Hero
  • Jaime Cole

    Jaime Cole Community Hero
  • Jenny Ballesteros

    Jenny Ballesteros
  • Erin Nowak

    Erin Nowak Community Hero
  • Keith "Shaheed" Minder

    Keith Minder Community Hero
  • Jennifer McEwen

    Jennifer McEwen Community Hero
  • Brian Young

    Brian Young Community Hero
  • Marlena Ledgerwood

    Marlena Ledgerwood Community Hero
  • Taylor Long

    Taylor Long Community Hero
  • Jessie Brantley

    Jessie Brantley Community Hero
  • Ruben Garcia

    Ruben Garcia Community Hero
  • Teresa Reid

    Teresa Reid Community Hero
  • Aaron Antonelli

    Aaron Antonelli Community Hero
  • Keith Buck

    Keith Buck Community Hero
  • Jason Keller

    Jason Keller Community Hero