The League 42 youth baseball organization in Wichita has announced that it has received a donation from Major League Baseball for the replacement of a statue of baseball legend Jackie Robinson at McAdams Park.
The statue was stolen on January 25th and it was found destroyed at Garvey Park a few days later. A 45-year-old Wichita man, Ricky Alderete was arrested for the theft of the statue, and he is awaiting a trial date on charges of felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property. . Police said the statue was stolen for scrap metal.
League 42 director Bob Lutz said in a social media post that his organization has accepted a donation of $100,000 to replace the statue and also secure the surrounding area. Lutz said the funding would also be used to make the area more aesthetically pleasing. He expressed thanks for the donation and support, and he said that “MLB is not finished helping us with some more important announcements to come.”
The organization has also received public donations of almost $200,000 through a GoFundMe page.
