Parking and ticket-taking bring benefits far beyond Cactus League stadium walls

The Peoria Diamond Club volunteers at Peoria Sports Complex during spring training. (Photo by Meghan McNamara/Cronkite News)

Communities that welcome teams and their fans to spring training each year love baseball. And it turns out baseball loves the communities, too.

Spring training brings people from across the nation to see their favorite teams play in relaxed, intimate settings around the Valley. Meanwhile, volunteer civic support groups at many of the venues, including the Surprise Sundancers, Peoria Diamond Club and Tempe Diablos, are on hand to make the fan experience enjoyable while also raising funds for community projects.

Each organization has different responsibilities at its respective ballpark, and structure is different across the groups, but they all share the common goal of making spring training come off without a hitch while helping their communities.

The organizations raise money with their work during spring training that is pumped back into the community in the form of scholarships and programs that help children and adults.

Surprise Sundancers

Founded in 2002, the