DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball Director of Youth Programs Tyler Collins was honored with the Layman Award at the Philadelphia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AHPERD) Annual Awards Banquet on April 25, 2019, in recognition of his role in the implementation of the Fun At Bat program within the School District of Philadelphia. The award is given annually to an individual who has provided significant contributions to the fields of Health and Physical Education, who are not members of the profession. 
Collins oversees the Fun At Bat initiative, an entry-level bat-and-ball program with support by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball for kids with an emphasis on character development, functional movement, active play and fun. The initiative stems from meticulous research on introductory youth sport programs and is free for schools and school districts to adopt.
"Tyler Collins, through USA Baseball, has presented the students of the School District of Philadelphia with the unique opportunity to access and experience the game of baseball through the Fun At Bat program," said School District of Philadelphia Director of Health, Safety and Physical Education, Nancy Nayowith. "Through their generous support and training, many schools now have sustainable programming to grow the game.
"We are appreciative of our partnership with USA Baseball and look forward to expanding its reach in our schools. Congratulations to Tyler Collins for receiving the Layman Award, and many thanks for his persistence and dedication on behalf of our students."
Collins' work growing and expanding USA Baseball's Fun At Bat program earned him the distinction. He presented the program to the Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers in the Philadelphia School District during a professional development course. All teachers in attendance received hands-on instruction, curricula and equipment for use in continuing the program in their schools.
"It is a great honor to receive the Layman Award from PAHPERD," Collins said. "The School District of Philadelphia has been a great partner and we look forward to continuing to provide the physical education teachers with the resources they need to successfully teach students the game of baseball."
Collins first joined USA Baseball in January 2017 and, under his guidance, Fun At Bat has experienced tremendous growth, currently reaching more than one million children in all 50 states, nearly 150,000 students in Puerto Rico and more than one million elementary school students throughout Mexico as of June 2019.
"As a teacher in a large urban district like Philadelphia, supplies are often scarce. It is such a blessing to have an organization like USA Baseball be willing to provide our teachers with meaningful professional development and equipment," said President of the Philadelphia AHPERD and Patterson Elementary School Health and PE Teacher, Erika Buscaglia. "Tyler's presentation was amazing and energetic! He provided us with activities we could immediately incorporate into our HPE programs."
For more information on Fun At Bat and other joint Major League Baseball and USA Baseball initiatives, visit SportDev.org.