You Matter Nashville

Franklin Challengers with Kayla Torti

• Jason and Mindy Hoover • Episode 5

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Kayla Torti, the founder of Franklin Challengers, on our You Matter Nashville podcast. Franklin Challengers is a special needs baseball team in Franklin, Tennessee, that provides opportunities for kids ages 5-18 with physical or intellectual disabilities to play baseball.

Kayla shared with us how the organization focuses on inclusivity and creating a joyful and fun environment for the players. Volunteers, known as buddies, are paired with players to assist and encourage them during the games. It's heartwarming to know that the league is free for families to participate, thanks to the support of Franklin Baseball Club and other sponsors.

Franklin Challengers is more than just a baseball league; it's a supportive community for children with special needs. As a dedicated mother and advocate for special needs children, Kayla relies on volunteers and donations to provide equipment and organize end-of-season parties and award ceremonies.

In addition to running the league, Kayla works full-time at Tucker's House, a nonprofit that facilitates home modifications for families with special needs children. Her passion for supporting and advocating for special needs families is truly inspiring, and we believe, like her, that more resources and support are needed in this area.


Key Takeaways

  • Franklin Challengers is a special needs baseball team in Franklin, Tennessee that provides opportunities for kids with disabilities to play baseball.
  • The league focuses on inclusivity and creating a joyful and fun environment for the players.
  • Volunteers, known as buddies, are paired with players to assist and encourage them during the games.
  • The league is free for families to participate, thanks to the support of Franklin Baseball Club and other sponsors. Franklin Challengers is a baseball league in Franklin, Tennessee, that provides an inclusive and supportive environment for children with special needs to play baseball.
  • The league relies on volunteers and donations to provide equipment and organize end-of-season parties and award ceremonies.
  • Kayla, the league organizer, also works full-time at Tucker's House, a nonprofit that facilitates home modifications for families with special needs children.
  • Kayla is passionate about supporting and advocating for special needs families and believes that more resources and support are needed in this area.


Special Guest
Kayla Torti

Organization
Franklin Challengers

You Matter Nashville YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@YouMatterNashville

The Hoover Team
https://www.thehooverteam.com/

Jason & Mindy Hoover (00:00.098)
Hey, Nashvilleans, welcome to the You Matter Nashville podcast, the place where every story we share is a celebration of you, the heartbeat of our community. I'm Jason Hoover, delighted to be one half of your hosting duo. And I'm Mindy Hoover, joining you alongside Jason to bring the stories of inspiring individuals and unsung heroes making a positive impact right here in our hometown. Every episode is about passions, dreams and actions that stitch together the Middle Tennessee community. So if you're looking to get inspired by the good happening around us,

Or if you want to hear from the change makers who believe, just like us, that you matter, then hit that follow button on your favorite podcast platform. And if you are looking to make a move in the middle Tennessee area, and Dan and I are real estate professionals and would be honored to serve you with excellence. Now let's dive into another episode of You Matter Nashville.

Welcome to You Matter Nashville, where we talk to community heroes that are making a positive impact on others. I'm Jason Hoover. And I am Mindy Hoover. And we are so excited to have another guest on our show. And we have the amazing Kayla Tordy with Franklin Challengers that is here in Franklin, Tennessee. Hey, welcome to the podcast, Kayla. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here and chat all things challengers. Yes. I love this show because it's about baseball.

If you like baseball, you're going to love this show. I'm a baseball fanatic. And if you know me, it's all about baseball. And unfortunately, my son had no choice in it. We even took him home in a little baseball onesie or whatever. we did. A newborn onesie. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for taking time to join us today and to share what you're doing and what you're a part of and how you are just.

You're really pouring into a lot of lies out there and it's very touching to us. But if you will just kind of share just a little bit about what that organization is for our listeners. Yeah, for sure. So I run the Franklin Challengers and Franklin Challengers is a special needs baseball team here in Franklin, Tennessee. And we work with kids ages five through 18.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (02:13.611)
that have any type of physical or intellectual disability that would prevent them from playing on an able -bodied team. is amazing. Because there are so many kids out there that want to play. So many. So many. And there's a lot of places that don't have this. Absolutely. Yeah. mean, even, and I'm sure we'll get to in a bit, but I have a special needs son and just trying to find opportunities for him.

locally is like unheard of. We're driving all over the place to get him. There's some great opportunities in Nashville and things like that. here in Franklin, there's really not a ton. And so it's amazing to be able to offer this to kids in this area because there really are so many kids that are part of it. Yeah, I was a teacher for 15 years here in the community. And there are, I was a music teacher. And so I had one class a day where

You know, all the kids that had disabilities were able to come in and take part of being in the choir program. yeah, and it, was a great part of my day and they are so loving and they're so giving and, you know, there is just this oddity of for some reason, some people are scared to interact. They're scared to, you know, like, what do I say? You know, what do I do? And

So simple. You just talk to them and on their level and they pour into you before you know it. Yeah, we see that a lot, know, with volunteers that come out. So how our games work, it's not, I mean, it is a baseball game, but it's not what most people know with baseball. We don't keep score. We don't keep track of strikes and anything like that. Everybody gets the opportunity to bat and everybody gets to play out in the fields. And we partner.

one of our players with an able -bodied volunteer. And so this pops up a lot with volunteers is, you know, when they show up, although they want to do it, you know, some kids who especially like haven't been around kids with special needs, like you can see they're nervous and they're like, they don't know how to interact, especially if it is, you know, a player that's nonverbal or, you know, they're just uncomfortable, but it's so cool to see throughout the game, just their comfort progress and then kind of have

Jason & Mindy Hoover (04:29.725)
moment of like, they're just, they're, like, they're just a kid. They just have to things a little differently. And so that's really, really cool to see. was gonna and see in programs like this and best buddy where you have that one -on -one peer experience and you know, and we need these programs. I mean, it educates us, you know, as much as it does them. Absolutely. One's just the, I don't know.

Volunteers, I think, is one piece that has been such a pleasant surprise throughout this whole thing for me, wanting to start the league and running it. Of course, the kids are the focus. This opportunity is the focus. But it's been so cool to just see the response from the community and how positive it's been for. We have a lot of ball teams that come out, whether it's baseball or soccer, a lot of teams, we kind of use it as a team building experience and to come and just be a buddy team for one of our teams.

And it's just been so stinking cool to see the response of like, you know, my kid volunteered for this game. And then they were asking me questions that it really provoked some great conversations with us and things that we've never really been able to talk about before. Or I saw my son talking to the special needs kid in his class and he's never talked to him before, but volunteering with your league gave him like the confidence to be able to go up and talk to him. And I'm like,

Yes. Like that's what it's about. That's what we need more of. So I love it. That has really been such a, such a cool bonus that has kind of happened out of all of this. And when you said a buddy team and what you were, I know a of people were like, what, does that mean? What does that entail? Yeah. So a buddy team. we have buddy teams and buddies is really what we call them.

I always ask for buddy teams because it's easier to work with a group of volunteers than a ton of individuals. So this last season we had 68 players and so we look for 68 volunteers every weekend. are some players that either they prefer a parent or a sibling. But we still try to always have a buddy lined up in case they feel a little extra confident that day and want to kind of work with somebody. But so a buddy is essentially just someone to come out and assist that player throughout the game.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (06:50.538)
All of our players have all different levels of abilities. Some are completely independent and they basically can do everything on their own. They just kind of need some guidance on, okay, now you run to first base, now we go to second and those types of things. And then other players, the volunteer has to do everything for them and they're pushing their wheelchair around the bases and things. And so a buddy essentially just meets that player right where they're at

We do a little training before the game and I'm like, there are your main jobs are to keep your buddy safe. You know, make sure no balls are coming at them and then just encourage them. Like we want these kids to feel like a million bucks when they walk off of this field. And so they really take that to heart and do an amazing job. Just encouraging the kids out on the field and just celebrating all the wins, which is awesome. I got to be a buddy. Yeah, I did. I loved it. my goodness.

So I have to tell you this, going back, you know, talking about how you're kind of timid talking to them. Well, I experienced that first years back when I was in high school, I started volunteering for the Special Olympics. Cool. And I was just like, I still remember going like, I want to help, but I don't want to mess up. I don't know what to do. But once you get in there, it's like, they just think you're like, you know, their best friend. Exactly.

It's amazing. So, you know, fast forward to this, you know, mixing that with, you know, my passion of baseball. It was like, it was like heaven to see these kids. You know, like you say, you don't, you don't keep score. You don't strike out. They run the bases and just the joy that was on every one of their faces. And some of them are very competitive. They're like, yeah, I'm hitting a home run.

I mean and the parents, I mean the joy that was on the parents faces of watching their kids play. It like, it made me cry a little. for sure. It's so appreciated. Yes. Well, when I talk about like that, because you know, people are like, especially if they are not familiar with a challenger league, which a lot of people are not, they just don't even know what to expect. And so the best way I know how to explain it and I refer to Saturdays, I'm like it is a joy

Jason & Mindy Hoover (09:08.172)
Like you, your face, you're smiling so much because like you can't not from the kids to the volunteers. Like the kids are over the moon excited. The first game I think is the only game I've ever seen tears and it's more just because it's like sensory overload, you know, some kids are a lot, but then I mean, they are so stinking excited. And then of course the volunteers are like the joy is contagious. so everybody cheering. The other thing too, that when we started this league,

so I, I met with when we decided we wanted to do it, I reached out to Franklin baseball club and met with the president over there, Jim Shinley. And I was like, listen, there's a lot, I like uniforms. There's a lot I really don't care about. was like, but what I do want is their first names on the back of their jerseys so that we can shout their names. Cause I'm like, it just gets in front instead of like, go Owen, go Asher.

And I'm like, these kids deserve that. have this vision in my head. I want them to hear the crowd cheering their names. And so of course, he's like, absolutely, absolutely. And so I think that piece of it adds so much to these kids because they start hearing people shouting their names. it gets them pumped up. they're excited. It does. Yeah. I I have never played baseball or softball on as the musical theater kid.

So marrying into the baseball family, you know, I had the daughter that danced and did all the musical theater and all the things. And then we have the boy that does all the baseball stuff. But, you know, you would think, well, what can I do? You know, I mean, I know how the game works. mean, I still have to ask questions when it gets really difficult. I'm like, why did they just do that? But I mean, you really just need to know the basics of baseball to be a buddy. You know, you you, hit the

You run to first, you help them pick up the ball and you throw it to a base. I mean, it's not like you have to be, I mean, there are siblings that are, you know, sisters that have never played, you know, on a team and they're out there helping their sibling. And, but like me, I helped out with welcoming everybody and signing them in. So there's not just buddy jobs. There are other things you can do too.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (11:29.39)
We definitely have other volunteer opportunities as well, other than being out on the field and all the action. So we got to do it kind of like a family thing, a family event when we helped, you know, our son was out there pitching. Yeah, he was great. He, you know, he's a pitcher anyway, but it's totally different pitching. Just so everybody knows, there's no umpires, there's no rules, you know, but, you know, he was out there pitching and he literally had the best

so much that he told us he said, want to, I want to come back next weekend. And we were so sad when it got rained out. It so bad. It was so, it was such a bummer. mean, we had picture makeup day. was our last games of the season. And of course it got rained out and I was like, so sad. But you have a fall season coming up. We do. We do. Yep. We just opened registration for our fall season, which will be open

July probably close sometime early August. So we have time to order uniforms and all that good stuff. But yeah, we're gearing up for fall season, which is going to be awesome. know, and just a plug for, you know, especially for boys, it is so hard to find volunteer opportunities, especially at the high school level. You know, all these kids have to have so many volunteer hours. mean, if you, yeah, if so, if a guy is looking for a great opportunity, I mean, you can get your hours, you know, on

in the fall and spring by helping out. And to go back to what you're saying with volunteering, mean, I don't have, like, I did not play baseball, I did not play softball. And it's actually kind of funny. My dad gets the biggest kick out of the fact that I'm running a baseball league. And they voted me in as a board member.

this past December. And so my dad gets like a chuckle because he's like, I cannot believe you are bored meeting with all these guys. And I'm like, I know because it's so not, you know, like I'm not a baseball person. I'm really not. But my husband grew up on the baseball field and he was very big into baseball. His dad coached his team and I grew up going to watch my brother. So baseball definitely was like a big part of my life, but I was never really interested in it. But all this to say,

Jason & Mindy Hoover (13:41.09)
you really don't have to be into baseball to be a part of it because it's really, as we've shared, it's not about baseball. Like, yes, baseball is a part of it, but this is so much bigger than baseball. And it truly is more like a community gathering and an opportunity for us to be able to connect and assist these kids who are

I mean, as you we've talked about, they're amazing and they're just so joyful and deserve this opportunity to come out and play. And even like special needs experience, I can get asked that a lot. It's not required. It's always a bonus if you have some experience and more so because we have some volunteers that come out from High Hopes, which is a local pediatric therapy clinic.

I love it when they come out, which they're great with the kids, but more than anything, they are excellent models for other volunteers who are a little more uncomfortable. Like they can see how comfortable they are with the kids. And so it kind of gives them permission to be like, okay. Like I can talk to them, right. Just like a regular eight year old. Like I don't have to talk in a baby voice or I don't have to change. Like I can just be who I am. And so it's great. So adults, we have a lot of work groups that come out.

Really anybody, we just ask the volunteers for to be out on the field or 12 and up. I really anybody can come out and volunteer. So how did you get involved with it? Yeah, this is great question. So with the baseball specifically, like I said, I have a 10 year old son with special needs. And when he was young, he was born nine weeks early.

And so we got his diagnosis when he was in the NICU and he was diagnosed with a long chain fatty acid oxidation disorder called LCHAD, which long story short with his disorder is that his body is not able to break down stored fat for energy. So Owen has a G -tube, he's got a wheelchair, energy is a big issue for him. And so whenever he was young and we got his diagnosis, know, doctors were

Jason & Mindy Hoover (15:52.342)
telling us all about like, you know, and I understand they were trying to set our expectations so we kind of would know what we were going into. But, you know, it was all about what he couldn't do. He's not gonna be able play on these sports. He's not gonna be able to do this and just all these really heavy, heavy things, which, you know, as a parent, you know, when you have bring your baby into the world, like you just have

expectations, but just an idea of what that's going to look like. What being a mom and having a son and a dad and having a son is going to look like. And you hope for these things and pray for these things. And so, you know, when he was born and doctors basically burst that bubble of, he's never going to have a regular life. He's not going to get to do any of these things. I mean, of course, it was crushing and I grieved it for myself as well. But I think really with Tyler and Owen, like I really grieved

for him because I know specifically baseball was such a huge part of his life and that's how he connected with his dad. And so that was a huge, huge piece of it where I just remember being like, okay, we gotta figure out what we can do. And of course I didn't know about challenges or anything then, but then cut to however many years later, I think that one was eight, eight or nine. But we heard about a challenger league in Mount Juliet. And so we're like so far away, but let's do it. And so we joined

Because again, there's not really any opportunities close by like I searched to try to find one here and there actually is one in Spring Hill So if there are any listeners, okay, spring Hill that one in Spring Hill, that's awesome There's one in Spring Hill and one is starting in Fairview now this fall somebody that is now gonna start one in Fairview, which is awesome So I'm hoping they sprinkle around to everything but Anyway, so we join the Mount Juliet League

And I mean, we went out to, you know, his first game and I mean, my mom went with us. I mean, we just like ball the whole time and all I could think about was, you know, the doctors just saying, oh, he's not going to do this. And I'm, you know, looking at him out there on that field and sure, he's not running those bases like we thought he would be at 10 years old or nine years old. But it was just so sweet and so powerful to get to experience that. And so we wanted to be able

Jason & Mindy Hoover (18:10.412)
let that continue because we just realized very quickly with Mount Juliet, it wasn't doable for us to do that league. And so my husband just casually was like, what if we started one in Franklin? I'm like, really? You're can do that on board. All right. And so he was like, yeah. And I mean, he jokes now because he's like, I just kind of said that. And then you have a meeting set up with Jim, the president. And we like had our fall season mapped

And so I was like, don't mess with me, I'll make it happen. So it was cool. It was cool how it all fell together. But it really was just the combination of knowing that this is an app, this just should be something that's available to kids. We shouldn't, as special needs parents, have to work this hard to find and go to these places. I agree. And selfishly, we have really desired more of a community. And I

A lot of places that special needs families gather can be really triggering just in itself. know, a lot of places that I'm around to at least other special needs families are hospitals or doctor's appointments or church, which that in itself can be very triggering for certain families and just kind of wrestling with that why, you know. And so thinking about that piece of it of this really gives the special needs community an opportunity to have something fun.

You know, it's nothing heavy. You're not at a doctor's office waiting to get horrible news. You're not, you know, just in these environments that can tend to be a little bit more triggering. This is like purely for joy and purely for fun and connection. And so I'm like, you know, this is a no brainer. And it just, has, it's been, it's been so amazing and just so rewarding. And I'm so grateful I get to be a part of it and meet all the amazing families that are around here and the kids. mean, the kids, it's just.

They're amazing. are. So your son actually plays on the same baseball team that our son played on. Oh, Rocco. You're my cousin. Rocco. He's my cousin. cousin. Sorry. Yep. We just have the one 10 -year -old. yes, my That's right. That's right. We have family that lives here. So it's my cousin. Yeah. So that's how we found out about it. Yeah. Yeah. Rocco was advertising it and then your family was.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (20:31.602)
And so Jason's like, Hey, did y 'all see this on the group me? And so we looked into it and like, yeah, I love it. Well, and it was so cool to have you guys out there and just, love, you know, that you came and you did it as a family. think that piece of it, when, when families come out or sports team or church groups or something like, just love, I love seeing the community come out and say, Hey, you know what? We're going to do our part and we're going to show up and you know, it's what an hour and a half, a couple hours out of your day, but just to come

you know, love on these kids, celebrate these kids. I think it's just, it's amazing in itself, but just especially seeing families come do that together, it just, warms my heart so much. And I appreciate you guys coming out. And you tried the second time, unfortunately it got rained out. We'll be coming out in the fall too. So one thing as part of this, so with listeners that may be interested, is there like a cost involved in this? Like for the participants.

Nope, so it's completely free for the families to participate, which is amazing. So Franklin Baseball Club, provide all the uniforms for the kids. They provide the pictures, which has been incredible because yes, I can do all the work and find the kids and gather, but the funding piece of it and the fields piece of it, those are two kind of pretty massive things that are needed. And so Franklin Baseball Club has really stepped up and they provide the uniforms.

There is, you know, we have had some donations where different sponsors can sponsor a team and things like that. But for the most part, Franklin baseball club has really just gone above and beyond to really make sure that the families are not having to pay anything and they truly get to participate without having to pay a dime. And one thing too, want

If anybody, want to make sure that anybody that's interested in volunteering, you don't have to have a glove. You don't have to understand baseball. It's even like when I was the buddy, I literally just, walked up, just made sure that they're going to be fine. if, just make sure they don't get hit by a ball that they fall down. It's very, very simple, but it's very impactful.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (22:38.152)
Exactly, yeah, it's really just showing up. It's coming out and showing up and you know, we'll guide you and like I said, we do a training on hey, here's how you be a buddy. So it's not like we just show up and we throw you out in the field. Parents provide notes for all the players that the coaches have. So if a buddy has questions about their players specifically on you know what maybe they're capable of doing or just notes from the parents.

The coach has all that information and the coaches are there strictly just to help, you know, and make sure everybody's where they need to be and help make the volunteers feel more comfortable. And they do an excellent job with that as well. Now I know that we all kind of live by donation when you are in a nonprofit. Yeah. And so, and I know us personally, we have things that Cohen has outgrown and yeah, it's from,

gloves to bats to, mean, and they're just in a closet. So do you guys have a need for that? Or do you have like a donation drive at any point? Or is there a drop off location for people who are like, yeah. Yeah. So we, unless as of right now with equipment, we should be good. I am always taking gloves though, because we don't require that volunteers bring gloves, but I like to provide those on the,

we have our teams broken up by ages. And so we have younger teams, which are ages five to 11, and then our older teams 12 up to 18. And so anybody that's on the 12 to 18 age field, I do like those volunteers to have a glove because that is where, you know, the kids, they take that baseball seriously. Some of those older ones are great hitters. And they can hit. They can. There's a couple that, yeah, we have, we've warned, we've warned the volunteers of like, we got a good hitter. So everybody stay in alert because we're like, okay, we're playing baseball.

So gloves, we will always accept gloves and there's a more of a need for older, which I don't even know. See, as I'm saying, you don't have to know a ton about baseball because I don't even know the sizing of the gloves, but more for the older, older kids and younger. We've got plenty of young gloves, but less. Okay. So like middle school up is what you're really needing things for, especially gloves. Yeah. And then in terms

Jason & Mindy Hoover (24:56.8)
like bats, we, you know, if somebody has a bunch of bats, want to get rid of great, but we, the biggest need for sure is gloves at the moment. And about financial donations, do you, I'm sure you guys have a need because I'm sure you guys love doing award ceremonies and that is on my list. we unfortunately have not been able to get enough funds in.

love to have like an end season party and be able to you know get trophies for the kids and the coaches be able to participate. yeah that needs to happen. last season I was trying so but it yeah and I get it I understand but it didn't work out but that is a hope so with donations yes we would there's a couple different ways and so Franklin Challengers in itself is not a non -profit but Franklin Baseball Club is and so if somebody is wanting to have something to write off for taxes or wants to

a donation specifically to cover uniforms or specifically to sponsor a team that would go directly to Franklin baseball club. Now, if it's anything of wanting to cover the cost of trophies or there's always things that pop up that we need just to purchase to have on site of fans, battery operated fans, clipboards and things with coaches, those kind of items, those types of things.

as well as trophies and that kind of stuff would go to me. And so I have a Venmo that people are able to make a donation if they feel like to do so. both of those options. it kind of just really depends on, it's more if you want the tax receipt or if you're just good to send it as really kind of the determining factor. For sure. Now, Shifta, Gares, just a little bit. You also have a full -time job. I do.

You want share a little bit about that as well? Yes. So I feel so blessed. I'm fully immersed in the special needs community, which I love just being in the special needs community as a mom. So I get to do the challengers. that's my, say Tucker's House is my nine to five, then moming and Franklin Challengers is my five to 10 situation. But Tucker's House, and so Tucker's House is a nonprofit here in Franklin.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (27:09.518)
And we facilitate home modifications for families that have kiddos living at home with special needs and their house is not safe or accessible. So a special needs family reaches out to us and they say, we're carrying our son in and out of our house because we've got steps. And so we go out to the home and we assess. Tucker's House, if they qualify for our program, Tucker's House will cover the cost of getting a ramp put in

We do a lot of bathroom modifications because as you can imagine, the bathroom is the trickiest spot in terms of safety and accessibility. Not a ton of houses are built for a wheelchair to go into a bathroom and so parents get very creative. I am constantly just blown away by.

getting to go into the homes and see how these parents have like adapted and just made it work. Like it is, I'm always so inspired when I get to go into the homes and just see what these parents, what their daily lives look like. And I think a lot of people don't realize just how much a family has to adapt. sure. Yeah. And the adaptability, but also the cost and what, you know, even

government grants or programs won't cover and like Jason was saying they just make do. Exactly. I mean I can't tell you and that's why the family is reaching out to us is because either you know we'll purchase like shower chairs or bath chairs for for families or just a number of things and they've always tried to go through their insurance first but whether insurance says it's not medically necessary or that's not a covered expense or

I mean, it is bonkers how ridiculous it is. And these parents are, yeah, they're just, we're trying to make do with what we've got. you know, I feel so privileged to have this job because I feel like I feel very, there's two sides of it. Cause one, I'm walking into these homes and getting to know these families, you know, as like a Tiger South representative and to come in and do my job. But then there's the other side of just

Jason & Mindy Hoover (29:24.364)
man, like special needs mom, like I get it, you like you're my people and I see you and I see the struggle. And so it's so special to kind of get to join in with these families of saying like, hey, I get it. I just talked for two hours with insurance this morning too, because they're denying this, you know, attachment for my son's wheelchair because it's not medically, you know, blah, blah, blah. And so I love

Like it's just, it's so rewarding to be able to like kind of join and link arms with these families and be like, hey, let's, let's work together on this and figure out how we can outsmart the system, which is what's so ridiculous. It's so sad. It is. It's so sad. And it's like, they'll deny so many things just right off the bat because they know that parents aren't going to fight it. And so how many moms don't know how exactly, well, I can't even tell you how many moms that they're like, insurance denied it. And I'm like, I'm

Sorry, because it's going to be a lot of work, you got to appeal it. And you keep appealing it, even if they deny it. Keep fighting. So many hours on the phone. So many hours. And getting the right person on the phone. mean, it's a game. And it's exhausting. And it's so frustrating that special needs families have to go through that. But unfortunately, it is the situation that we're in for now. yeah. That's the last thing you need to be worried about. Exactly.

Right. You're already had so many things on your plate. You get to the end of the day and the last thing you want to do is dive into that insurance appeal. You just want to have a minute because your child is safe and finally asleep and you get a break and you're not needed. Yeah. The last thing you want to do is call and talk to Cigna. It is. It's a cowboy. Then they turn 18 and that's where we are. Our daughter is type 1 diabetic and they want to

dictate when she gets her next round, oh well, she should have had enough to last her this long. I'm like, oh well, this medical device broke down two days early. So they're like, oh well, guess she just doesn't have any equipment for three days because insurance is it going to pay. it's just this every three months, it feels like we are on this. Yeah. And then when they're 18, even though I'm whatever, have the parent agreement that, you know, I can talk on her behalf. They still don't want to talk to

Jason & Mindy Hoover (31:39.054)
you know, and she doesn't know how to fight her battle at age 21. Right. It's so it's so infuriating and so disheartening. And also, it's not like you get this diagnosis, you know, and then there's this training for like, hey, here's how to advocate for your child. Here's how insurance deductibles and out of pocket max. And here's what these things mean. I didn't know any of that. And so just being thrown into it. And of course,

Lurting insurance is the last thing you're diving into. You're trying to just like keep your child alive. you just - chew on glass. Exactly. You're like, my priority is my child and making sure that they're okay. But then also you're up against, you know, this insurance. And when you call, it's not even, you know, someone who has power to change it. I mean, it is, I remember, especially when Owen was little, I mean, so many conversations where I just was like sobbing on the phone because Owen -

He can't break down certain fats for energy. Well, the fats that he can't break down are all the good fats, all those long chain, the fats in avocado and salmon, that they're like, eat all these fats. These are good for you. Those are the ones Owen can't have. And so he has a very special formula. He's always been on from birth. And when he was little, the original formula he was on came from out of the country.

and they had an issue with customs and couldn't get extra. So it was already expensive. It was $110 a can for three days. That provided us three days of formula. Oh my goodness. And so it was stuck in customs. There were some in the US, but insurance was like, oh, sorry, we can't do this. And so I'm sitting on the phone with this insurance, and I'm like, this literally is my only option for him. This is what will keep him alive. You're to generic. Yeah.

I'm like, can't run to like Target and get another like jug of this. mean, it just, but to just like sit and be having this conversation when you're just fighting for your child, for a medication that they need, for nutrition that they need, you're like, this is to keep them alive. And they're telling you it's not, I mean, it's just, it's a whole, it's a whole thing that I think that there just should be so much more support for special needs families and just guidance in that area because Amen. I agree.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (33:55.736)
We're all figuring out as we go and it's, we're all just as frustrating and discouraged about it. And so I wish, I wish there were more resources for sure for families. then I mean, there really needs to be more support and just across the board. And, but sure. going back to even with baseball, you know, it sounds like such a simple thing, but when you have all of this heavy things going on and on your back and all these phone calls, I mean, this is a weekly thing. This is not, I to do this once a year.

You guys really go to bat, huh? I just stole a dad joke. yeah, you have to go to bat for your kids like every single day. this joy, like you're talking about, these joy bombs that you get every Saturday in the spring and fall really do make a huge difference. Especially after a tough week, after a tough week of doctor's appointments, tough week of battling insurance,

you know, that that family's story is, which is, I mean, every single family, like they have been through it, you know, like that they are there because they're like that's their badge. Like I know that they have been through it. They have a story to tell. And a lot of these kids were told they weren't going to make it. A lot of kids have been told more of like, this is this is what you're not going to be able to do with your life. And a lot of knows. And

When you have that many like miracle babies and that many families who have just like are fighting that fight like that in itself, I'm like something special happens. Like I get cold chills like regularly at these games because I'm like, this is so powerful for these families to be able to come together after the week I know this kiddo has had or the diagnosis, the additional diagnosis I know that this child just got and what that prognosis looks like and that heaviness to then suddenly be thrown into just

a joy bomb, you know, where it's like an hour. You don't have to think about any of that. You get to just sit back and watch your kiddo be on a team and look amazing in their uniform. They look the part and they've got somebody else helping and take taking care of them out on the field. And it's just it is there's so many there's so many cool things happening on Saturdays to where I'm like, yes, you know, it is about baseball,

Jason & Mindy Hoover (36:17.642)
it's so much bigger from what's happening with the kids. And I mean, I've heard from parents of like the socialization piece, because a lot of these kids, you know, might be homeschooled or they go to a specific school that they're not around as many peers or, and so they're like, honestly, for socialization, this is so good for him to be around a teammate and all these things. So there's just so many pieces of it that

you know, already we're like, this needs to happen. But then it's like, you get all these other bonuses and it's just like icing on top of the cake. But the kids, the kids are amazing and the volunteer piece of it to hear their stories. And then the families, the families like just getting to see and sit and observe. And I try, I try to like have a moment at each game where I like catch myself and I can just like observe because it is, it's so cool if you pause and you kind of take some time to observe.

all the different things that are happening, like seeing the kids and those little light bulbs going off and seeing the volunteers kind of building with their confidence and getting to see the parents just like sitting on the bleachers watching their kid, which is for at least half of our players, they've never done a sport before, they've never been on a team before. So that's like that mom's first opportunity or that dad who thought.

You know, his son was never going to get to play baseball. Like that's his first moment to like sit and take that in of like, I get to see my son out playing baseball, the crowd shouting his name and you know, they're crying. Grandparents are crying. It's just, it's, it's great. It really is. Like it's, it's a joy bomb. It's just, it's amazing. So I try to encourage, even if you're not volunteering, I try to encourage people to come out because there is, there's just something really special about all these kids and just seeing.

a community come together and surround these kids and support them and literally be their hands and feet. Yes. And we felt that our very first time. mean, it was very prevalent that everybody was very welcoming and so sweet. But I'm curious as to what does Owen think about his mother heading up the baseball league? I mean, he has his moments where I feel like I really get some points.

Jason & Mindy Hoover (38:31.138)
But I feel like for the most part, I'm mom. I'm the annoying mom that's limiting the screen time and all the things. So I have moments where he's like, that's really cool. Where I'm like, yes, I got some points. He's a huge help. We have a day that we pass out uniforms before the season starts or little things like that. He loves to help kind of be a part of it.

Like I can definitely see, you know, his little eyes light up and him like feel pretty confident that he, you know, he's, he's a part of it. He gets to help like run it. I forget what he calls himself. It's either like the president of the challengers or I forget what title he gave himself, but he loves it. He really had that on the shirt. President Owen, but he loves it. It's fun. It's so cool just to see him, you know, just thriving. Yeah, exactly. And just dive into it

talk about, you know, the friends that he's meeting and like encourage him to, it's fun to see him kind of be the seasoned player now and try to, you know, welcome the new kids and help them feel a bit more comfortable. so, You know, one thing that I thought was really neat was not expecting y 'all had the fire department come out. Yeah. And they got to hold the hose while it was spraying.

They were just having a great time. Yes, the kids loved it. So the fire department, yes, they came out to a game in the spring and they came out in the fall and we'll line up for them to come out again this coming fall. Yeah, they're amazing and we're so grateful for them to come out. Who doesn't love a fire truck? And the hose thing was new this year. really? Yeah, they let them like actually run the hose.

So that was cool. They, and they brought two trucks this time and showed all the tricks. So yeah, it was pretty spectacular. was, it really was. That was, that was neat. anything that, anything that we haven't covered that you might want to share with our audience that, you know, if there's, you know, if they're not around a, Franklin or Mount Juliet, Hill, is it hard to start one?

Jason & Mindy Hoover (40:51.789)
I would not say hard. In my experience, someone who started or not started but was in our league these past two seasons, she's starting one at Fairview. And even so, to kind of going off of like what the response she's gotten as she's kind of started these conversations with her local baseball club. And for the most

Everyone is so willing when I've reached out to the fire department, when I've reached out to Walmart for donations, I've reached out to Home Depot and Lowe's to get battery operated fans to keep these kiddos cool. It seems like, or what I'm learning, I guess I should say, between the challengers and even with my job at Tucker's House and just as a mom of a child in a wheelchair, what I am learning is that it's not that people aren't willing to help, they just don't know how. And so I think...

giving them an opportunity instead of like, okay, well, if you want to help, let me know having this open ended, but of a specific, hey, here's a specific ask that I have, here's a specific request or a change. When I was little, and we would go places like the world is not built for someone in a wheelchair. And it was so frustrating because I'm like, how are they not thinking about people in wheelchairs? And I would get so frustrated. But then now I'm like,

They just, don't know what they don't know. Of course they don't know about life of a wheelchair user. They've never been a wheelchair user. And so from business owners to homeowners to whatever it may be, people just don't know what they don't know. And so I think having a specific ask, like in my experience, is just people have been so responsive and so encouraging and so willing to help in whatever way. the new trick seems to be

Laying it out there and giving them something that they can grab on to and say yes like that is that is what I would like to do That's how I can help So yeah, I wouldn't say that it's hard. I it definitely takes time and effort But it's it's worth it in the end for sure and the kids I mean again that Saturday joy bomb. It just you're like, all right cup fills. Let's do it. Let's do it again from the top I think I have a new word

Jason & Mindy Hoover (43:07.062)
Well, Kayla, it has been such a blessing having you on here. And we're honored to have you on here to share the story of your family and for Franklin Challengers. And I'm hoping that we can get the word out so we can have more people get involved. And yeah, this has been

Well, thank you so much for having me and I just appreciate y 'all's heart. And I just think this whole podcast is so cool and what you guys are doing because you know, as we were talking about before, it is very easy for especially the smaller organizations to kind of get lost in the mix. And so I think it's really cool that you guys are seeking those out and wanting to bring awareness and just help spread the word. So I appreciate you bringing the challengers in on that and helping share about Tucker's house and.

I mean, it takes a village. And so I appreciate you guys being the village. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much. but before we wrap up, is there anything else that people can help with? Our biggest needs are volunteers. And so I don't I don't have the volunteers sign up ready for fall yet because I don't have specific times yet. But volunteers for sure are our biggest need. It takes almost 100 volunteers every single Saturday just to make everything happen. And so we have eight games.

So that's a lot of volunteers who work on this. So the more the merrier and the best way to kind of keep up with that is through like social media. So they're following us on Facebook or Instagram. the links on there. I post the links on Instagram. I have like our link tree, which has a link to if there's a player that wants to register our Amazon wish list or a link to donate all that type of stuff you can find through those links.

But yeah, of course we'll have it in our show notes as well. Perfect. Perfect. But yeah, volunteers and gloves, I would say. And of course, donations so that we can do our end of year party between those three things. are our biggest needs at the moment. Yeah. need people to step up and have that party with you. I remember in Little League, I played Little know. So what we've done the past few seasons, we have medals, which the

Jason & Mindy Hoover (45:12.674)
I just had a parent write me actually this morning and he was like, he will not wear or not wear his medal everywhere. And he left it at school. Do you have an extra one? I'm like, absolutely. We'll give you another. So we've been giving medals, which the kids seem to love, but I would love to get a trophy that has their name. Yes. So it can present to them. And just, again, just another level of that, you know, them being able to have that full baseball experience. Absolutely. Very well said.

All right. Well, thank you so much, Kayla, for joining us today and sharing what you do. You are definitely a community hero and we appreciate you as well because without people like you in your heart, this world will be a much darker place. So thank you for what you do and thank you for just being who you are. that's it everybody. Thank you again for listening. Nashville.

Be blessed this week and as always, please remember that you matter. And that brings us to the end of another episode of You Matter Nashville. We hope today's show has left you feeling as uplifted and inspired as we are. Remember, the spirit of Nashville lives in all of us and every small act of kindness echoes throughout the community. A huge thank you for listening and even being a part of our You Matter community. If you love this episode, please share with friends and leave us a five -star review. It helps us reach more listeners and spread the

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