When you take yourself out to the ballgame, the Door County Baseball League hopes you consider the safety of the players and the crowd with your spare change. A potentially dangerous situation inspired the most recent drive for Door County residents to donate money to purchase defibrillator units, this time for the ballparks that host Door County Baseball League games. Earlier this season, a Maplewood pitcher was struck in the chest by a baseball hit by a Kolberg batter. While he survived the scare, the event brought back memories of Buffalo Bills defensive back Demar Hamlin, who had his heart stop on the field after suffering a blow to the chest during a football game. Six of the eight Door County Baseball League parks do not have defibrillators, also known as AEDs. Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Chief Chris Hecht regularly attends games to watch his son Matt play for the Sister Bay Bays and he hopes people on both sides of the dugouts stay safe with the installation of new AED units at all of the parks.

Hecht helped lead a countywide effort to install AED units across the county last year. Residents and visitors responded in a big way, helping the Defibs for Door County campaign raise enough funds to purchase 83 units, which typically cost $1,500 each. You can learn how you can donate to the cause below or bring your donation to one of the Door County Baseball League games this weekend in Kolberg, Sister Bay, Egg Harbor, or Baileys Harbor.