For the 10th year in a row, returning and prospective baseball players at South Johnston High School took part in a big community service project.
First of all, South Johnston raffled off a $100 Wal-Mart gift card with 100% of the proceeds going to the US Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. The baseball program at South Johnston got no money from this project, but the players involved reaped plenty of benefits and also raised $3108.00 in ticket sales.
Missy Medlin of Four Oaks won the drawing for this year’s gift card. High salesman for the Trojans was Kevin Honeycutt, selling 500 tickets to this year’s raffle.
The project was concluded last Saturday with a trip to the Wal-Mart in Smithfield where the players actually did the shopping for the toys. When all was said and done, the Trojan Baseball teams had purchased 439 toys valued at $3,234.61 that will brighten Christmas morning for many children.
The United States Marine Corps Reserve had representatives on site Saturday morning. Mr. Calvin Spradlin USMC-Retired, 1st Sgt. Lee Cox and Sgt. Darren Proctor met the team at Wal-Mart to receive the toys for Toys for Tots and get them headed to the hands of children.
Keith Durham, athletic director and head baseball coach at South, said, “It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved, and it was great to see our young people working so hard for a worthy cause with no thought of reward. It is our hope that this project will help make the holidays a little bit brighter for some children that might not have had much to look forward to on Christmas morning. “
He noted that “one of the goals of the South Johnston Athletic Department is to help our student-athletes see the community and world around them, and to help them to understand that they have a responsibility to be a positive force in the lives of other people. This project is one of the ways we encourage our student-athletes to give back to their community.” Durham also thanked the Marine Corps Reserve, Wal-Mart, South Johnston High School, and the community which all helped to make the project a success.
Over the past ten years, the Trojan baseball program has raised $31,712.82 to buy 4,485 toys to help make Christmas a more joyous time of year for less fortunate children.
Congratulations to South Johnston High School and its baseball program for its great efforts, and thanks to Keith Durham for his leadership and for providing information.
