CONNORVILLE-A fundraiser is currently underway at Buckeye Local High School to upgrade the baseball and softball fields on campus, while the site will pay homage to two major supporters.

Principal Luke Parsons said the Legacy Fields Initiative hopes to raise $200,000 for the improvements, and officials are seeking to meet half of the goal with an area organization planning to make a funding match.

Parsons said efforts so far have raised about $5,000 and the Kara Bright Foundation has pledged to match the community funding dollar for dollar. Proceeds will help establish the Kara Bright Athletic Complex and update Mazeroski Field on the school campus.

“We wanted to update the softball and baseball fields and we would rededicate the baseball field to Bill Mazeroski. The Kara W. Bright Foundation agreed and said they would give $100,000 if we raised $100,000,” said Parsons. “We’ve raised $5,450 so far through donations from the Yorkville VFW, Ohio Coatings, MarkWest, and personal donors.”

Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski was a local native and longtime district supporter who passed away in February. He grew up in the Rush Run area and attended Warren Consolidated High School, which is now part of the Buckeye Local Schools. He is famously known for his walk-off homerun which earned the Pirates the World Series pendant in 1960 and he continued his career with the team for 17 years, earning a place as one of the greatest second basemen in sports history.

Meanwhile, Kara Bright was a former Buckeye Local teacher and coach who later established the Brightway Center at his 180-acre Smithfield farm as a Christian retreat and activity center. He passed away in 2005 and the subsequent Brightway Foundation was later reformed as the Kara W. Bright Foundation. It has carried on his legacy at BLHS by funding improvements in the Panther Gym, including new bleachers and a hardwood floor that was named the Kara Bright Court. The school has since held the Kara Bright Classic in his honor.

Parsons said the fields have not received major improvements since they were created more than two decades ago, and plans are to potentially add new drainage, backstops, fencing, mounds, home plates and base systems.

Donations will be accepted through the high school while a Panther Legacy Wall would be erected to recognize contributors. The wall would be prominently placed at the entrance to the complex with various funding levels available, including platinum at $10,000 or more, with donors receiving a large custom home plate plaque bearing their name and message; gold for $5,000 to $9,999, and contributors receive medium glove plaques with their name and message; silver for $1,000 to $4,999, with donors earning a standard baseball plaque with their name; and bronze donors of $250 to $999, with contributors having their names engraved on a donor panel.

He noted that the contributions were not just for making improvements; they were an investment in the future.

“The heartbeat of any thriving community can be found in its willingness to invest in future generations. At Buckeye Local High School, we have a rare opportunity to transform not just physical structures, but the very spirit of our community through the revitalization of our athletic complex. The softball and baseball fields, which have nurtured countless young athletes over the years, now require significant upgrades to continue serving our students. This project represents more than facility improvements–it embodies our commitment to excellence, our respect for local heritage, and our belief that when we invest in our schools, we invest in the foundation of our community’s future.”

For more information or to support the Legacy Fields Initiative, contact the development team at lucas.parsons@buckeyelocal.net or call 740-859-2196. Checks may be made in order of the Buckeye Local School District and sent to Buckeye Local High School, in care of the Legacy Fields Initiative, 10692 State Highway 150, Rayland, Ohio, 43943.