Give A Glove with LMCU

Matt Cook, Vice President of Community Relations with Lake Michigan Credit Union joins us to discuss the LMCU Give-A-Glove drive with the West Michigan Whitecaps.

More information can be found here: https://www.lmcu.org/about/perks/whitecaps-lmcu-ballpark/

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you remember your first baseball glove? Well, I sure do,
and that was a long time ago. We talked sometimes
about income disparities and access and they're an awful lot
of kids that won't get one. And that's why we're
talking to our friend Matt Cook once again on West
Michigan's Morning News, who is the vice president of Community

(00:22):
Relations at Lake Michigan Credit Union. Matt, thanks for doing
this again today.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Of course, good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
So how can we help make a difference with LMCU
and kids and baseball.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, so we're really excited once again to partner with
the West Michigan white Caps and the Grand Rapids YMCA
and they put on the Ted Raspberry Youth Baseball and
Softball League throughout the summer. It kicks off later in June,
but right now, listeners can make a difference by getting
a brand new baseball glove. You can go to your

(00:53):
local Meyer or another store and purchase a glove and
drop it off at any LMCU branch. You can also
drop it off at a ballpark during a white Caps
game or din EYMCA and that glove will go to
help use that doesn't have a glove to be able
to play both this summer and in future summers, and
so really excited to do that. And if you do that,
you get two tickets to a twenty twenty five white

(01:16):
Caps game anti Limca today.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
Pass very cool. I know I've helped out with this
cause in the past. So many little leagues benefit and
has he mentioned you know with the Ted Raspberry League.
You look at it, but we go out to other
little leagues and try to encourage them to help give
back to right here in Grand Rapids. And you can
do so, like Matt said, because they've got a nice
home stand. Right We've got two today weather permitting, with

(01:38):
the school day game at eleven, and then of course
last night's game got postponed today. But there are some
great ones coming up tonight. I know, Princess Night is
Friday night, and then a military appreciation night on Sunday
right of Memorial Day weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah, the white Caps are really hot right now, and
for those that maybe aren't following the standings as closely,
they've got a ton of top products and they are
leading the Midwest League and so it's a great chance
to get out and see great baseball. But like you said,
Brett there's a number of promotions this weekend for those
that maybe are going for the things beyond baseball as well,
including a Max Clark bobblehead giveaway on Saturday. I know

(02:16):
my son is really excited about that one. That's his
current favorite player. And so lots of things happen in
at on Seaball Park this weekend. But there's a great
chance to be able to get out if you're staying around.

Speaker 3 (02:25):
And to Matt's point, you want to see these guys
early because who knows how long they're going to be
in West Michigan. Like a Max Clark, they could be
moving up the ladder quickly. So do that and watch
this great talent because they've got a phenomenal team.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Matt, let me ask you this question. You knew, I'm
sure you like us, have a lot of meetings and
sometimes that go on. But when the naming rights the
partnership with the white Caps came up, how long a
meeting was that, well, how different a meeting was that
to get like, yeah, you know so that.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
I wasn't a part of the initial meeting, but I
will tell you that when I first found out, I
jumped for joy, and I think our entire team, you
know the White Caps, you know back to Lou Chamberlain
and Denny Baxter, you know, the original founders bringing that here.
When that came up as an opportunity for ELMSU, it
was a perfect fit for us in our membership base

(03:18):
and it's been a fantastic partnership and I can't tell
you how many fun meetings we still have getting to
brainstorm exciting ways that we can partner and we've got
a ton of things happen in the summer like ELAMSU
Member Nights and other things that you know are fun
to be able to partner with them on. And it's
not a hard, hard meaning to have. They're always brainstorming
new and creative ways for us to be able to

(03:40):
activate and engage our membership in our employees.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Speaking of that, Matt, the other thing that a lot
of fans probably haven't taken in yet. You and I
were out there for the Hut Scholarship luncheon that you
guys have at the Pepsi Stadium Club. We were also
out there for a couple of media events as far
as food tasting in you on a corporate sponsor side,
but for those people who haven't seen the ballpark like
Steve since the remodel. Oh man, You're going to be
in for a treat, aren't they.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
It is. It feels like you're in a totally different space.
And for those that maybe haven't been out in the
year or two, when you walk in, you're going to
think that you're a whole new ballpark. And there's more
changes coming past this season. But the lawn section now
is out in the outfield, you actually where the pitchers
warm up. The ball pends are no longer in the

(04:24):
field display. They are safely beyond the sense in the outfield.
But there's a ton of new hospitality areas. The concourse
area looks different, especially on the third base side, so
some exciting new spaces to be able to check out
and some new food options as well.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
It is the vice president of Community Relations at Lake
Michigan Credit Union baseball fan too, Matt Cook. Thanks for
your time today, of

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Course, thank you both.