Basebaltown Charities mission is to keep baseball alive in Reading so youngsters can benefit from the many life lessons the game teaches. It was created by Chuck Domino, President of Baseballtown Charities and established in 2002 when its flagship project was started, Gordon Hoodak Stadium at Lauer’s Park. Baseballtown Charities raised more than $1 million to build Gordon Hoodak Stadium at Lauer’s Park, a field of dreams in the heart of inner-city Reading, which has provided more than 1,000 boys and girls who otherwise might not have had the opportunity with a chance to participate in the game. It sits on the grounds of Lauer’s Park Elementary School, named for the former stadium where Babe Ruth and Shoeless Joe Jackson both played.

Since then, the organization has evolved from focusing on one demographic in need to reaching throughout the community and touching many different types of people in order to reach anyone who could benefit from the game of baseball. Baseballtown Charities has made strides for both financially and physically/cognitive challenged individuals, not only who live within the city of Reading but throughout Berks County.