Meet the Founders Brian and Brian and the Beginnings of a Dominican Nonprofit baseball academy

How two returned missionaries turned a dream into a nonprofit that’s changing lives through baseball and education in the Dominican Republic

*The Straley Project, dba Empower Baseball is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

EMPOWER BASEBALL

Brian Straley - President

Brandon Byers - Vice President

From Mission Companions to Nonprofit Founders: How Our Time in the Dominican Republic Sparked Empower Baseball

We first met while serving two-year missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Santo Domingo West Mission from 1998 to 2001. I was a zone leader in an area called Los Alcarrizos when Brandon arrived—a brand-new greenie straight from the U.S. We shared a missionary house for four months and became close friends during that time. I got to watch Brandon acclimate to life in the DR, and those shared experiences left a lasting impact on both of us.

Over the years, we stayed in touch. We often talked about our time in the Dominican Republic and dreamed of finding a way to give back—something more meaningful than visiting a resort. We wanted to reconnect in a way that honored our missionary experiences and genuinely helped the people we had come to love.

But how?

We didn’t know exactly where to start. We couldn’t think of a clear project that would connect returned missionaries with the country, or something that would inspire both Dominicans and Americans to come together in service.

What we did know was that we wanted to be involved—actively involved—in a way that could grow and evolve with time. We wanted to build something we could share with others who also love the DR and feel that same tug to return and serve.

There’s a unique feeling when you return home from a mission—you go from giving 100% of your time to others, to figuring out what’s next. We wanted to fill that gap. Nothing can quite replicate full-time missionary service, but we hoped to find a new way to contribute meaningfully.

Then came the obvious question: what brings Dominicans and Americans together more than anything?

Baseball.

You can’t go anywhere in the Dominican Republic without hearing about baseball. It’s everything. But we started to notice something during our time there: lots of fields, lots of academies... but very few actual games. Lots of practice, but no official seasons, stats, or structure.

That observation sparked an idea.

What if we used baseball as the hook, and education as the goal?

We knew that many Dominican families place all their hopes in baseball—but the odds are slim. Most kids won’t make it to a Major League team. Many drop out of school chasing that dream, only to end up with no education, no job prospects, and no backup plan.

That’s where Empower Baseball comes in.

We decided to focus on at-risk youth—kids who are most vulnerable to dropping out or getting stuck in cycles of poverty. Empower Baseball combines baseball training with mentorship and education. Inspired by Nelson Mandela’s quote—“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”—we saw an opportunity to use baseball not just to inspire dreams, but to equip kids with the tools to achieve them.

Empower Baseball requires kids to attend school, maintain good grades, and stay out of trouble. In return, they get access to free baseball training, mentorship, exposure to scouts, and a chance to be part of something bigger.

We’re modeling the program after the U.S. system—where sports and academics go hand-in-hand—and our ultimate goal is to help these kids earn scholarships to Dominican or U.S. universities. Whether they succeed on the field or not, they’ll be prepared for life.

At its heart, Empower Baseball is about breaking the cycle of poverty through education—and using the Dominican Republic’s national love of baseball to get there.

And for us, it’s also a way to reconnect with the people and the place that changed our lives.

Join the Team

four Mormon missionaries smiling warmly and posing for a picture for memories

two LDS missionaries posing for a picture in a poor humble home smiling warmly

group of dominican youth gathered together at a baseball field at night playing and socializing

Group of dominican youth watching a local baseball game and cheering for their team

an american and two dominicans on the beach afer being in the caribbean water

two men riding bikes at polo magnetico having a good time

two mormon missionaries posing at the newly created plaza on the 27 de Febrero street in Santo Domi

poor dominican kids playing vitilla in the streets having a great time

slums of santo domingo where houses are crowded and built on top of each other

• Missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 1998 - 2000

• Called to Serve in the Santo Domingo West Mission

• Survived Y2K

• Similar to a 2 Year Camping Trip

• How do they speak so fast!! Ah po'ta bien! Pa' lla! Dimelo tigueraso! Que lo Que?!

• Se fue la luz!

• Get in a publico and you can go anywhere. Just don't get out the drivers side door, or they will yell at you and you might lose the door!

• Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battling it out for the homerun title

• Children chanting Los Mormones! Los Mormones! Los Mormones everywhere you went

• Don't have a radio of your own? Don't worry your neighbors will play it loud enough for you to hear!

• Let's dance! Dominican love merengue, salsa and bachata music. Oh wait...we can't dance! Mis nalgas no se mueven asi!

• Lots of Chicken, rice and beans. La Bandera Dominicana! Moro con coco! Arroz con guandules! Sancocho! Chofan! Jugos! El Tang de cada dia! Say no to la Pata y Mondogo!

• Survived Hurricane Georges

• La Canada del diablo!!

• Mangu? What's mangu?!?

• We both had hair....and now have the same hair cut

• Love the Dominican People and want to give back

• Got bored in the pandemic and started a nonprofit!

  
  

  What Did I miss??