Many diamonds contribute to Vauxhall Academy of Baseball

On Oct. 12, 82-year-old Yukio Kitagawa finished a goal to cycle 100,000 km to raise funds and awareness for the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball.

Kitagawa became motivated to set the goal of cycling 100,000 km to raise money and awareness for the Vauxhall Academy because he was inspired by Clara Hughes, a Speed Skating and Cycling Olympian, who undertook a 12,000-kilometer cycling marathon across Canada to draw attention/ awareness of Mental Health issues.

“Raising funds for that organization was commendable,” Kitagawa said. “It became an impetus to follow for a cause myself. That cause became the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball, a fledgling organization that also needed funds and awareness.”

Vauxhall High School, Kitagawa says, was experiencing declining enrollments and to keep all their programs and teachers, they came up with a vision to increase their numbers by 22 high school boys each year.

The school, which is located directly across from the JETS Stadium, decided they would have “Their Own Field of Dreams” and hired a well-respected, well trained coach in the spring of 2005.

“The program has been a great success,” Kitagawa said. “In the first years, the boys were billeted by local families and in the third year of the operation, the Vauxhall High School underwent a big renovation which included a dorm to house the 22 boys along with a residence for the dorm manager. They are now in their 12th year and approximately 95% of the graduates obtained scholarships to colleges and universities in Canada and USA. Education is very important at the Academy; it is the highest priority there, with baseball skills being second and community service being third.”

Todd Ojala, Principal of the Vauxhall Jr./Sr. High School says that the Vauxhall Baseball Academy has had many accomplishments in baseball over the years including the successful graduations of 141 academy athletes; 18 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft picks; 54 Canadian Junior National Team Invitees, with 20 making the final roster; the creation and maintenance of Jets Stadium; a $1.2 million dollar multi-purpose facility that includes training and residential facilities; a spectacular indoor training facility; experienced coaches; and an experienced sport therapist.

In terms of academic accomplishments, Ojala says that the Baseball Academy has had a 100% graduation rate over 12 years; 100 honor roll student-athletes that have won the Rutherford Scholarship; smaller class sizes that can create a better learning environment; and a staff consisting of accomplished teachers.

Ojala emphasizes community service as being an essential part of the character-building that goes on at the Academy and says that athletes are active in a program that encourages them to interact with the senior citizens of Vauxhall and surrounding areas, helping the seniors to feel like part of the community.

Athletes also participate in youth mentorship and volunteering their time coaching, refereeing, or teaching for youth and children’s sports programs.

“The philanthropy aspect of our lives was piqued with the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball,” Kitagawa said. “When it was obvious that the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball needed someone to assist them in raising extra money to run the school program, I came up with the idea of “Pennies for K’s” kilometers cycled to raise funds.”

Parents and friends of the Vauxhall Baseball Academy and other businesses that Kitagawa met during his ride pledged pennies per kilometers to ensure that Kitagawa would succeed in his goal.

Kitagawa is considered quite important to the Academy because he and his wife came on board with the Reno Lizzi Scholarship of $2,000 almost immediately after the Academy opened in 2005.

“When my mentor Reno Lizzi passed away in 2005 and the Academy was founded that same year, we immediately came on board with our Scholarship/ Bursary program in his name,” Kitagawa said.

“Today, we have seven scholarships annually, the most prestigious one being the Reno LizziScholarship of $2000.00 and a specially designed gold ring for the recipient. We were recognized by the Southern Alberta Philanthropy organization a few years back for our efforts.”

An article in the Calgary Herald titled “Vauxhall’s Own Field of Dreams” was what originally impressed the Kitagawas enough that they wanted to help the Vauxhall Baseball Academy thrive.

“We were very impressed that a smalltown high school had the vision to do something about their declining enrollments and came up with the idea of a Baseball Academy within the high school,” Kitagawa said.

“We know how important schooling is and were very impressed with the whole idea.”