The email immediately caught the attention of Jason Andrew.

The title was 鈥楿ganda鈥� and the sender was Ruth Hoffman, a woman unknown to the Langley baseball coach.

Hoffman wanted Andrew鈥檚 baseball team, the Canadian national 11/12 Little League champions, to travel to Uganda on a goodwill mission.

鈥淪he came across very sincere and very passionate,鈥� Andrew recalled about meeting meeting her at a Vancouver coffee shop. 鈥淭hat caught me right away. When somebody is that passionate, you tend to listen.鈥�

Hoffman was proposing sending Andrew鈥檚 baseball team, the Langley All-Stars, to Uganda to face the team they were supposed to have played in Williamsport at the Little League World Series.

Uganda had won the right to represent the Middle East/Africa region but were denied visas from the U.S. State Department shortly before the August tournament because their documentation contained discrepancies.

They would have been the first team from Africa to compete at the famed tournament.

Hoffman, now living in Vancouver, had previously spent time in Africa and was connected to the sport through her three sons. Two of them represented Belgium at the senior (15/16) Little League World Series in Maine. She also had existing contacts in Uganda through her work.

鈥淭he feeling of knowing what it is like not to go, or to think they are not going and then read the story of the Ugandan kids, who come from a million times worse background, it just really pulled at my heartstrings,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 understand what the Ugandan kids went through (to qualify) and to not be able to finish that journey, would be pretty hard,鈥�  Andrew said.

Hoffman came up with the idea to send the Langley squad after reading about New York-based documentary filmmaker Jay Shapiro.

For the past three years, Shapiro had worked on a project focused on baseball in Uganda, called

鈥淲hat inspired me was how good they were, I was never expecting to find that,鈥� Shapiro said.

鈥淥nce I saw that, I knew it was a story I wanted to tell.

鈥淚t tells the story not just of this team but this small baseball community that we found that is amazing and inspiring and full of really passionate characters.鈥�

鈥淚 had no idea it would end up where it did.鈥�

After hearing Hoffman鈥檚 pitch, Shapiro was quickly on board. His documentary 鈥� scheduled to be released this spring or summer 鈥� will conclude with the All-Stars planned trip to Uganda in January.

To help fund the trip, including covering the costs for the Langley team to travel to Uganda, the not-for-profit organization was brought on board.

In addition to the baseball, money will go towards legacy projects such as education opportunities through scholarship programs for Ugandan players, funding for travel to participate in international tournaments and/or funding to build a baseball diamond closer to where the players live.

Even before he was approached with this idea, Andrew had wanted his team to leave some sort of legacy.

鈥淥ne day another team from Langley will go to the World Series and do very well; this is a legacy that can last a lot longer than the memory of what we did,鈥� Andrew said.

鈥淲e can extend that legacy and leave a footprint, not just in Langley, but internationally.

鈥淚f we help build a complex and get equipment, that will be passed on from generation to generation and hopefully baseball in Uganda progresses as a result of that.鈥�

The Langley players knew little about Uganda.

One of the first things Ian 亚洲天堂 did was search the country on the internet.

鈥淚t kind of made me sad because they don鈥檛 have shoes and stuff when they play baseball,鈥� he said.

Andrew recalled some of the pictures he saw online, especially of what passes for baseball facilities in some parts of the country.

鈥淭hat is what sold me, seeing what these kids practice on, and what they wear to practice; it is ridiculous,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hey have bare feet and cardboard bags.

Ruth Hoffman was flanked by Langley All-Stars coach Jason Andrew (left) and documentary filmmaker Jay Shapiro at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel on Nov. 1. Fundraising is underway to send the Langley Little League baseball to Uganda in January through Right To Play.

鈥淥ne of the pictures, there is cow in the outfield and they are practising.鈥�

In order to make the trip a reality, $155,000 is needed in fundraising, including $75,000 by early December. As of earlier this week, $40,00 had been raised, Hoffman said.

To donate, visit