Twelve-year-old Erik Gomez has one dream: to be a professional Major League Baseball player. He wears a championship ring from a tournament in Cooperstown and his favorite player is Fernando Tatis, Jr. of the Padres. Gomez trains five to six days a week at PAWS, a one-of-a-kind center with a turfed field, pitching machines, an amazing sound system and graffiti-lined walls. You may remember PAWS or “Providing Animal Welfare Services” as a group that supports city pet owners. The owners built dog houses, launched a spay/neuter program, and provided low-cost pet care units. Starting in 2018, they worked diligently on a new vision to serve the community through sports. After a few years and a lot of hard work, the youth and advocacy center officially opened. Cofounders Matt and Laura Piccone believe that sports, primarily baseball and softball, will be the catalyst for social change within their community.
“I still have a strong drive to help the animals, but you have to help the people first,” says Matt. “If communities are suffering, animals are suffering. If people are concerned with baseball, they start to heal. People are more compassionate and involved in taking care of our community.”
Matt's vision for the 20,000-foot space was to create a one-ofa-kind experience. The first floor is home to their community partner, Accurate Sports and Entertainment, where athletes develop leadership, confidence, social skills, and self-esteem. They can also use the awesome HitTrax simulator. The second floor houses a seventy-foot batting cage, pitching mounds, matted area for tumbling, and a gym.
Matt wanted Rochester residents to walk in and feel at home, so the walls are decorated by SNO, one of the founding members of the graffiti artist collective known as FUA, and his partner ZOER. Matt is a big graffiti and hip-hop fan who grew up admiring SNO’s work and persistence. “He was everywhere! He created an unbelievable group of artists. It’s been an honor to have their stuff here. They give the place life.” You can find their art everywhere, from the abandoned subway to an exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery
Albert Algarin, age nine, is here four to five days a week, especially during the baseball season. He loves the batting cages and works on pitching and fielding. Algarin's dad, a Penfield coach, says the whole team trained here during the winter. “We have visited a lot of places, and no one has the equipment and atmosphere they have here. It’s a whole vibe of sports and being kind to people.” Algarin's dream is to play division one college baseball and his favorite player is Pete Alonso from the Mets.
Matt says Gomez and Algarin have a great drive and passion for sports. “They are amazing young men. It has been a pleasure to be around them since the day I met them.” Their parents love that Matt and Laura Piccone open their doors to everyone and provide a safe haven for kids in the neighborhood. These aren’t just members of a gym; this is a family.
Building the facility in their hometown of Rochester was imperative for the Piccones. “Only six percent of the major leaguers are Black,” Matt says. “We need to invest in our local cities. These kids deserve the opportunity.”
Laura agrees, “It would be great to see these young kids getting noticed for playing baseball, as it would no longer be a lost sport in these communities because of the lack of access.”
The Piccones are excited to announce their recent affiliation with MLB’s Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Program. “Our visions are aligned,” says Matt. “To empower all youth regardless of their skill level, ability, or background to build a brighter future through social change, and to facilitate their growth and development through the introduction of sports, fitness, and wellness programs.”
PAWS is strictly volunteer-based, so there is a low monthly fee to use the facility. The goal is to obtain funding to staff the organization and ultimately serve the city youth and provide services to them at little to no cost.
PAWS is open to all ages and is a great space for events like birthday parties, teambuilding, networking, photo shoots and more. Check out pawsofrochester.org to request a tour or find out more.