EMORY, Va. - Emory & Henry College announced today that it was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $60,000 from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. The grant will help the College renovate its softball field and expand youth and community involvement in the sport.
The funding supports the first phase of a renovation plan that will include the addition of dirt to the infield, laser grading of the infield, new sod in the outfield, improved drainage, installation of a new automatic irrigation system, the addition of a warning track, and the addition of fencing. The College will use the renovated field to offer a youth fall league and instructional clinics to local players. Over the next two to five years, the College will embark on a complete renovation of the softball field as funds become available.
"The goal of this renovation plan is to provide a safe and more modern facility for softball. Many young girls in our area have limited opportunities to participate in quality sports programming, and we will offer a fall league and low-cost clinics to teams and individuals," said Myra Sims, Emory & Henry Director of Athletics. "This award is a wonderful investment in the community and Emory & Henry is grateful to have the chance to expand interest and participation in softball."
"The Baseball Tomorrow Fund is honored to support the softball field renovation project at Emory & Henry College," said Cathy Bradley, Executive Director of the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. "The renovation of this field will support a unique opportunity for the College to offer softball programming to area youth and continue to grow the game in this community."
About the Baseball Tomorrow Fund
The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) is a joint initiative between the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support field renovation and construction projects, equipment and uniform purchases, coaches training material and other selected program expenses. Since its formation by the MLBPA and MLB in 1999, BTF has awarded approximately 770 grants totaling more than $26 million to non-profit and tax-exempt organizations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia. More than 330,000 youth players have benefited from programs and facilities supported by the fund. BTF also facilitates league-wide initiatives including the collection and distribution of new and gently used equipment to organizations in need as well as field maintenance education clinics. For more information, visit baseballtomorrowfund.com and follow BTF on Facebook, Twitter and MLBlogs.
About Emory & Henry College
Located in the highlands of southwest Virginia, Emory & Henry College boasts a strong reputation for increasing excellence. The College is one of only 40 institutions recognized in the best-selling college guide, "Colleges That Changes Lives." Ranked among the top 50 liberal arts institutions in the nation by Washington Monthly, Emory & Henry is committed to teaching as a transformative practice – an opportunity to inspire students to re-imagine the nature and purpose of their education. During the last 25 years, Emory & Henry professors have won 16 major state and national awards for teaching excellence, a record matched by only a handful of institutions nationwide. The College's proud heritage of enlightened civic activity and vital faith advances a pragmatic understanding of challenges facing the world and leads to positive transformation in communities and the lives of students.
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