Caltrans District 2 Native American Liaison and Los Molinos Junior Giants Coach Kendee Vance was inducted into the Junior Giants Hall of Fame on March 26 in San Francisco. She is pictured here in the orange blazer, surrounded by her league players. Photo by District 4
By Christopher Woodward
District 2 Public Information Officer
Baseball has long been a passion for Kendee Vance. “Baseball is the closest thing that allows you to be a kid again,” said Vance. “They call it the sacred game for a reason.” An even bigger passion for her is volunteering her time to help kids learn and grow through the game of baseball.
Vance, the Caltrans District 2 Native American Liaison, was inducted into the Junior Giants Hall of Fame on March 26 at the Play Ball Luncheon at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Vance is a 12-year Caltrans employee who has worked as a Native American liaison for the last eight years. During the day she works to develop and maintain government-to-government relationships with the Native American tribes in northern California to address transportation issues, assist with projects, and grow partnerships. In her off time, she coaches the Los Molinos Junior Giants. She’s coached the team for 13 years, and has been commissioner for eight. Vance’s family, 11 kids from her league, and family chaperones attended the recent Play Ball Luncheon ceremony to witness her induction.
The Junior Giants is the flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, which is the San Francisco Giants’ nonprofit organization. The program is a free, non-competitive, co-ed summer baseball and softball league. Started in 1994, it serves more than 24,000 players across 90 leagues in northern and central California, Oregon, and Nevada. The Play Ball Luncheon is the biggest fundraiser for the Junior Giants, with about $700,000 raised at the event in March.
Vance was honored as a new inductee, and gave the keynote speech at the luncheon. She then attended the Hall of Fame Game on May 15, where all Hall of Fame inductees are invited and honored at a pregame ceremony. This year’s ceremony was hosted by San Francisco Giants’ legend Will Clark.
While Vance is honored by the recent recognition, her heart remains with the Junior Giants Program. Her goal is to help kids learn and grow.