The Little League World Series champions from El Segundo now have plans for New Year’s Day — riding on a float through Pasadena.
The El Segundo Little League All-Stars, who won the World Series in August, will ride aboard a Rose Parade float on Jan. 1. DirecTV is sponsoring the float, which officials from the major television services company announced on Wednesday, Nov. 6, about two months after the All-Stars received an offer from the Tournament of Roses to be featured in its 135th New Year’s Day parade.
The announcement happened at DirecTV’s corporate headquarters in El Segundo, with executives unveiling a rendering of the 35-foot float that will have the theme “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
“It is an honor to be able to participate in the 135th Rose parade, which brings so many families, communities and people of all walks of life together,” El Segundo manager Danny Boehle said in a statement. “It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, much like being able to participate and then win the LLWS.”
The boys and coaches were initially invited to DirecTV’s offices to assemble wellness kits for families at Ronald McDonald House. They spent the first part of their visit doing just that.
“It’s been such an amazing journey,” Kathy Narahara, mom to star slugger Louis Lappe, said as she watched him and teammates write out note cards for the wellness kits.
“We are so happy to have the opportunity to give back,” she added. “They’ve been the beneficiaries of so many cool things; it’s great that DirecTV is facilitating this.”
But then came the announcement about the Rose Parade float.
DirecTV Chief Marketing Officer Vince Torres made the surprise announcement from a podium right after the Little Leaguers had gathered for a team photo.
“When DirecTV heard that you needed some funds,” Torres said, “we knew it was time to step up to the plate.”
A rendering of the float then appeared on a big-screen television. The…
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