Fans of Daniel Norris got to meet their hometown superstar Saturday night and help out a good cause.
“It’s cool because it’s the first pro athlete that I’ve ever met”, said Noah Hazell.
Proceeds from this fundraising event will go towards Jacob’s Nature Park, an outdoor project inspired by event organizer Bill Francisco’s son Jacob who died from E-Coli at age 6.
Bill Francisco has been working tirelessly to get Jacob’s Park developed and the well-known baseball star decided to lend a hand.
“The more that I learned about the story and what was behind it I really started to relate to it. How he wanted to make the dream of this park a reality” said Detroit Tigers Pitcher Daniel Norris.
“It reminded me of my path to the big leagues. How he was told no many times and how I was told no many times.”
The event included VIP tickets for an opportunity to meet Norris, get an autographed baseball from him, and take a picture with him.
Norris said he was more than happy to help out with this cause.
“This is a great thing for Johnson City, but it’s also really good to help people learn about the environment and the importance of clean water,”, said Boone Watershed Partnership Board Member Gary Barrigar.
Francisco said this was exactly what the Jacob’s park needed to get the ball rolling on the outdoor classroom intended for the park.
The pavilion will have a living roof and the park will also feature a hiking trail.
Francisco says the purpose of this park is to raise awareness of the E-Coli living in Sinking Creek and to also provide wetlands that will filter the water and keep the environment safe.
“We got started with this project to educate the community to hopefully prevent a similar tragedy with raising the awareness of E-Coli bacteria”, said event organizer Bill Francisco.
Francisco says he appreciates Norris taking time out of his schedule to help raise funds for the outdoor space, a space where Francisco hopes his son’s legacy will live on.Copyright 2016 WJHL. All rights reserved.
