Volunteer offers guidance to softball players, and others
Like most Good Samaritans, Hollister resident Arch Walters is
reluctant to receive praise about his good works because he does
not help others to earn kudos.
Whether he is teaching girls how to pitch a softball, or helping
deliver bags of food for the Community Pantry or building homes in
hurricane-ravaged New Orleans
– as he is doing this week – Walters believes in giving
back.
Volunteer offers guidance to softball players, and others
Like most Good Samaritans, Hollister resident Arch Walters is reluctant to receive praise about his good works because he does not help others to earn kudos.
Whether he is teaching girls how to pitch a softball, or helping deliver bags of food for the Community Pantry or building homes in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans – as he is doing this week – Walters believes in giving back.
“I feel it’s an obligation,” said Walters, who has lived in Hollister for 17 years and is retired from his job as a civil engineer for the San Jose light rail program. “Those of us who have gotten a degree, gotten a good job and are comfortable need to give back.”
Parents and players in the Hollister Heat softball organization showed their appreciation for Walters’ selfless attitude by nominating him for recognition in The Pinnacle’s Good Samaritan feature.
They called Walters, who has been a board member for the Heat for nearly a decade and is now a pitching coach for 10 girls in the program, a positive role model who is patient and encouraging but not afraid to offer constructive criticism to the girls that he coaches.
“He is a great teacher,” members of The Heat wrote about Walters.
Georgina Vodanovich, whose daughter, Mia, receives pitching lessons from Walters, said her daughter has “been taught by many great coaches at Hollister Heat and Arch Walters is one of the best. We appreciate and are inspired by the generosity of his time, skills and knowledge that he shares.
“He’s been very open to helping the kids and to keep the Hollister Heat program going,” Vodanovich added. “He’s a very willing person and very approachable.”
The nonprofit Hollister Heat program is run entirely by volunteers who work to develop the fast-pitch softball skills of San Benito County girls at Veterans Memorial Park. Fair play and good sportsmanship are two of the tenets of the league, which also focuses on teamwork and building self-confidence in its players.
“I’m involved because I believe in empowering young women,” Walters said by cell phone as he took a break working on a Habitat for Humanity project in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. “They come under so much social pressure when they get older that having faced different sorts of pressure through athletics may help them cope with other challenges later in life.”
Many of the players who have gone on to help San Benito High School’s softball team to three straight Central Coast Section championships got their start with The Heat.
Walters’ current proteges offer high praise for their mentor, with whom they work most Wednesday and Thursday afternoons on pitching mechanics and delivery.
“Arch is so patient and fun,” said Serena Adame. “He always sets aside his own time to be there for us.”
Serena’s sister, Marissa, said she appreciates Walters’ patience with her.
“He helps you find strength in yourself,” she said.
Mike and Tracy Nino said their daughters have benefited greatly from the tutelage of Walters, who initially got involved with The Heat when his daughter – now 22 – played for the organization.
“[He] is a fine example of a person giving back to the community and putting their time and talents to work for others,” the Nino’s wrote. “We really appreciate the coaching he has done with both of our daughters.”
Joey Miguel, whose daughter, Paige, has worked with Walters, said the pitching coach is “great for the kids and for the Heat organization” because he is so generous with his time and talent.
Leonard and Millie Valencia echoed many parents with their high praise of Walters, particularly focusing on his dedication to the program and the girls with which he works.
“Kristen has learned so much [from Walters],” the Valencia’s said. [She] has learned to use the skills and words of support” he provides and his work “has truly made a difference in her pitching.”
Hollister Heat President Leo Ibarra said the time and effort that Walters devotes to the league’s facility and its players “is pretty amazing.”
“He has spent a tremendous amount of time out there making sure the facility looks good,” Ibarra said. “And when he coaches, he tries to explain to players not just how they should do things but why they should do things a certain way.”
Walters said he enjoyed coaching teams of softball players but he now enjoys getting to know the girls as individuals.
“I like that The Heat puts a real premium on sportsmanship,” Walters said. “The key to the organization is that it has people who are really dedicated to helping young girls succeed.”
That same desire to help others has brought Walters to New Orleans each October for the past three years.
He is part of a crew helping to build a 100-home development sponsored by musicians Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. Walters stays in his brother’s house in New Orleans during his trips there.
“I really like what Habitat is doing here,” he said. “There is a lot of difficulty getting housing re-started in New Orleans” in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina.
“I enjoy the construction and I like the idea of building things that will help others,” he said.
When he returns to his own home next week, Walters will continue his work building skills and confidence in local softball players without seeking praise for his efforts.
“I like keeping a low profile,” he said.
Pinnacle readers are encouraged to nominate other Good Samaritans who are making a difference in the community and we have a nomination form available at the Weekend Pinnacle office, 350 Sixth St., Ste. 102. For more information, contact City Editor Melissa Flores at 637-6300, ext. 25 or e-mail
mf*****@pi**********.com
.
