The Aptos Sports Foundation has been helping support Mariners’ Sports for almost 40 years, and now the baseball team will play on a field named for one of its five founders.
“We were honored to have the baseball stadium at Aptos High School renamed Bailey Park,” said Robert Bailey, brother to founder Paul Bailey, after the May 8 naming ceremony. “Paul and I are humbled by the dedication.”
The brothers, co-owners of Bailey Properties in Aptos, were joined at the pre-game dedication by their families, as well as members of the Foundation.
Robert also gave most of the credit for their name being honored to the foundation itself, along with a shout out to board member and Bailey Properties Business Manager Barbara Palmer. He also showed his pride in his family’s Aptos High roots, including his wife Lille, a member of the Class of 1972, daughter Amy, who graduated in 2006, and Nick, who played baseball for the Mariners from 2010-2012.
“It was a great day to be a Mariner,” he said.
ASF has contributed over $4 million to Aptos High School athletics and the school’s sports facilities since it’s founding in 1979, 10 years after the school opened its doors.
The Foundation is a non-profit organization to primarily support Aptos High athletics, but also lends its support to the other public schools in the Aptos area, including Aptos Junior High and elementary schools Mar Vista, Valencia, Rio Del Mar and Bradley.
The goal in creating the organization was to have a separate entity supported by the community to allow for more flexibility in fund raising and donations to improve facilities, and fund after-school sports programs throughout Aptos. Through the years, the Foundation has resulted in a top quality athletic program to rival the best programs in Northern California, public or private.
“We have established relationships with the school district, alumni and the community of Aptos,” Paul Bailey said. “The ASF has earned a high level of trust and credibility that allows us to act as a reliable benefactor in meeting the needs of Aptos High School.”
ASF is working to expand its mission of supporting Aptos sports by developing an endowment fund. With nearly 50 years of alumni, Paul is optimistic about ASF’s future goals.
“There is now an alumni base reaching back to the first graduation class — 1970,” he said. ”That gives us a platform to develop the endowment fund and grow the impact of the Aptos Sports Foundation. These alumni can now fondly look back and attribute some of their successes in life to lessons learned, and friendships made, during their participation in after-school sports.”
Paul, the lone remaining founder still on the board, once again called on the alumni of Aptos High to help maintain and improve the Foundations’ goals.
“We can utilize the fund under the umbrella of ASF as a conduit of support between the Community and the School,” he said. “We believe there are many individuals, families and current residents of Aptos who would like to give back to the community and keep kids involved in quality after-school athletic programs through the Aptos Sports Foundation.”
The Bailey’s also wanted to give their heartfelt appreciation and thanks to Aptos High School Principal Peggy Pughe, Athletic Director Mark Dorfman and the entire team at Aptos High for their support.
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Aptos Sports Foundation P.O. Box 2405, Aptos, CA 95003, Website:
https://www.aptossportsfoundation.com