Beyond The Birdcage: Canaries leave ‘nest’ to connect with community

This paid piece is sponsored by the Sioux Falls Canaries.

Kona Quiggle is an outfielder for the Sioux Falls Canaries who sees the life of a pro ballplayer as more than catching, throwing and hitting.

He plays for a team that feels the same away. Putting together a minor league franchise has a lot of moving parts, not the least of which is getting the gates open and putting on a good show 50 times at the home park over a little more than three months.

But The Birdcage gates open both ways in this case. To really establish a prominent presence in Sioux Falls, the Canaries will search out opportunities to reach out.

“We need to be a force within the community,” said Jack Fossand, Canaries executive vice president. “It’s important for us to get out and show fans what we’re all about as an organization as a whole.”

It continues to be a comprehensive effort. The Canaries Community Fund was established before last season and remains a means of designating charities and causes in the region.

The same goes for the On-Deck Club, a program designed for local businesses to purchase and help distribute tickets to groups representing disabled individuals, disadvantaged youth and families, children with special needs, as well as volunteer support groups and nonprofit organizations.

Just as the Canaries have continued to improve the stadium they play in – a new field in 2022 followed a new scoreboard installed in 2021 – they have also continued to build on their level of engagement in the community. To do that this year, they’ve taken their show on the road.

“We really wanted to emphasize that part of our job is to get out to see our fans – especially the kids and the families,” Fossand said. “We’re a member of this community, and we’re asking, ‘Do you want to be a part of this?’ ”

That applies to people like Quiggle, a native of Phoenix spending his first summer in Sioux Falls. When he is asked to represent the team for something other than playing baseball, he looks forward to it.

“It’s great reading books to kids,” said Quiggle, a communications major at Grand Canyon University who has spent time in the Detroit Tigers organization. “They don’t really care too much about the story; they just love being there. And they love asking questions. Then we’ll play some dodgeball, and we get to talk. Whatever they want to do is cool. It’s just fun to be there with them.”

So you’re a youngster and a pro ballplayer is coming to read you a book and play some dodgeball. There are plenty of parents of those kids who would sign up, too, if they had a choice between that and a day at the office.

“When I was growing up, it was always really cool be around athletes,” Quiggle said. “It didn’t matter whether they were baseball players – just people you looked up to. I like giving back that way. Maybe you’re making a kid’s day better.”

Whitney Sitzman is the events and activation coordinator for the Canaries. As one of the recent additions to the Canaries’ full-time staff, the fact that her job exists vouches for the commitment the franchise has to seeking out opportunities to be a part of a positive message at the ballpark and outside it.

“We’re trying to get more involved with people who might not have had a chance to see a Canaries game yet,” Sitzman said. “We want to visit Title I schools and day cares that might not have normally had the chance to come out here. We’ll be focusing more on that the rest of the season, which is completely awesome. A lot of people in the community really love the Canaries, so we want to make sure everyone who is interested gets a chance to meet a Canary, play catch and come to a game.”

Often, the players will pass along more insight to the kids following the planned activities. It makes for a well-rounded experience for both kids and Canaries.

“The players will talk about sportsmanship and being a good teammate,” Sitzman said. “They’ll also talk about developing good coping skills. It’s really good for kids to hear this from a professional athlete and know this could be them one day. It gives them a lot of hope.”

At the recent Juneteenth Festival in Sioux Falls, the Canaries had representatives from every part of their organization, including administration, staff, coaches and players.

Sitzman posted a sign-up sheet and then passed along the particulars to those who would be attending. It was a heartening response, but not an uncommon one.

“I usually have a pretty good turnout,” she said. “We have about 10 guys who really like hanging out with the kids. It’s rewarding for them, I think, just like it is the kids. When those kids eventually come to a game, you’ll hear them yelling the names of the guys they met at the day care or at the Juneteenth event or the guys they played kickball with. It’s pretty cool to see how it translates from a visit from us to seeing them at an actual game.”

The Canaries will continue to be available for outings for the rest of the season. If you’re interested in getting members of the team and staff in for a visit, you can contact Whitney Sitzman at [email protected].