HOW TO HELPTo donate money or in-kind contributions, call Amy Agee at 423-509-3612 or by mail at 134 Cherry St., Pikeville, TN 37367.FOR MORE INFORMATIONInformation about the Baseball Tomorrow Fund can be found at www.baseballtomorrowfund.com.
Bledsoe County is rural, and it is full of young people; nearly a quarter of the population is under 18, according to 2012 U.S. Census Bureau data. And there isn't a lot for all those kids to do, community organizers say.
That's why baseball -- or anything that gets young people outside and occupied -- is so important. It's why Amy Agee, founder and director of Bledsoe Community Improvement Organization, applied for a $35,000 Major League Baseball grant to improve Bledsoe's baseball and softball facilities last year.
The grant is through MLB's Baseball Tomorrow Fund, a joint venture by professional baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. The organization's website says on average, 30 grants totaling around $1.5 million are given out every year all around the world. The average grant, the site says, is around $51,000.
The BCIO announced this month that Bledsoe County received the Baseball Tomorrow Fund grant, plus some $10,000 from local groups and the county, all to maintain and upgrade four county-owned baseball and softball fields.
"A lot of the surrounding counties don't want to come here and play tournaments because of our field conditions," Agee said Wednesday. "There are a lot of dips, bumps and lips."
She co-founded the 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2012. The group aims to provide safe recreational facilities and activities, a news release states.
With professionally prepared fields, Agee and Vince Pendergrass, president of Bledsoe County Youth Baseball, hope participation will spike, especially among adolescents.
"We're hoping for this to put a little punch in our organization," Pendergrass said this week. And in a state with no professional baseball team and whose sports landscape is dominated by the NFL Titans and Volunteer orange, any way to boost interest in America's pasttime is welcome.
Cathy Bradley, executive director of BTF, said MLB and MLB Player's Association -- financial supporters of baseball fund -- are happy to give kids in rural areas somewhere to take part in an American tradition and experience. "Baseball and softball are part of our experience as Americans," she said.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.