Chesterton Tribune | December 01, 2022 |
The State Park Little League of Porter was selected by the Dunbar Family Foundation to receive a significant donation to be used for a number of renovations and upgrades for the 2023 season. The Foundation, which was started by long-time Chesterton residents Bob and Becky Dunbar, chose the State Park Little League (“SPLL”) as a part of the Foundation’s continued efforts to support the greater Duneland area. The Dunbar family feels a close connection with the SPLL program having participated as players and concession workers, while Bob Dunbar previously served as treasurer.
“The State Park Little League does great things for the local community youth and our Foundation is excited to support the organization with the funding needed to continue providing top-quality facilities and equipment,” said Dunbar Family Foundation President Dick Dunbar. The park upgrades will feature four new dugouts on the north and south baseball fields, new team equipment, including updated umpire and catcher’s gear, helmets, and bats, and the reconstruction of the main parking lot’s retaining wall. The upgrades are expected to be completed before SPLL’s Opening Day activities that are scheduled for April 29th of next year.
“The State Park Little League mission of utilizing sportsmanship, leadership, and team skills to build our community youth into great citizens is paramount to our organization. The Dunbar Family Foundation’s support will enhance these efforts,” said SPLL President Eric Gillhouse. “The Board of Directors is honored to receive this gift and plan to honor Bob Dunbar, an Air Force veteran, with the creation of the Veterans Circle, a decorative stone landscape wall at the base of our central flagpole, encouraging our youth to remember the sacrifices our military servicemen and women make allowing us to freely enjoy the great game of baseball!”
State Park Little League, which has served the community since 1953 and is one of the longest continually operating Little Leagues in Indiana, has grown from a 48-player, 4-team program, to a nearly 400-player, 24-team program offering multiple divisions of play on its three dedicated ball fields.
It is a non-profit entity that provides fields and equipment to help guide girls and boys of Westchester Township to develop into good citizens by providing a properly supervised baseball program and actively supports the local park programs. It is funded by registration fees, league fundraisers and private donations.