Summerland family's dream of restoring community baseball field closer to reality

Dream field close to reality

A husband and wife fundraising team are celebrating after Summerland council's decision on Tuesday to provide more funding for the second phase of a community-funded baseball field.

Jeff and Melissa Taylor have been focused on reviving Living Memorial Park in honour of their son, Hendriks Jon Taylor, who died in 2024 at age 16.

And, in just a little more than two months, Field 96 will have its opening day.

Remembering player 96

The Taylors said they know their kids are proud of the work.

"I know that all of the kids, and especially those who played on that special award-winning team in 2024 with our son, player number 96, Hendrix, I think they all feel very proud of the field and of the community," Melissa said.

"It's an intangible feeling, but it's a deep one that I think a lot of people are feeling through this project."

Melissa said they feel excitement and sense of pride in having achieved this rebuild with the community, but they would do anything to have avoided the loss of their son.

"The field is helping us heal. It’s a beautiful focus and a small symbol of our deep love and loss. But the project is also hard for [our kids] and for us, because we can’t escape the fact that we would just much rather have our Hendo, our #96, sitting in the dugout, ready to play some house ball this season," she said.

Achieved all of Phase One

The fundraiser, which has raised $518,749 so far, aims to completely renovate the baseball field and surrounding area which has fallen into disrepair.

Last May, the Summerland Minor Baseball Association found out the Toronto Blue Jays Field of Dreams grant officially awarded them $185,000.

Summerland council matched the grant funding.

To date, SMBA has raised more than $82,000 through a GoFundMe, more than $12,000 through the Rotary 50/50, $13,000 through the Baker Invitational, and more than $38,000 through concession and T-shirt sales.

On top of that, more than $150,000 has been donated in-kind through materials and labour.

A large amount of work has been completed so far, and kids are looking forward to playing on the field this spring season. There is still more work to be done, and the family is all hands on deck with local crews to finish.

'Dream' to redo the field

Jeff said the work has resulted in a big transformation.

"I look at it, and I see all the things that I still have to do, but I also see all the things that we've done in a short amount of time," he said.

Melissa said this achievement has meant a lot to them and the community.

"I think about how scary it was to launch the GoFundMe in November 2024, and it really was just like a dream that we were going to redo this field and to be standing here, really just over a year later," she said.

Jeff said he's seen the young players watch the field come together from behind the fence.

"For all the kids in the community, what we've tried to show them is just what perseverance can accomplish," he said. "We dreamt big when we first took this project on."

Since the project started, SMBA has seen a year-over-year increase of 20 to 25 per cent growth in youth players.

"They're doing something healthy for their minds, for their bodies. They're making friendships," Melissa said.

"It's not just the kids, it's the families. We have lifelong friends through our kids' sports. You sit there for hours chatting with people, and you create bonds. So this is a community benefit."

Now the duo is focused on raising funds for Phase 2. This stage will tackle further electrical works and the purchase and installation of stadium lighting, at a cost of $425,000, so they can have Friday Night Lights and host later games and practices.

Gearing up for Phase 2

SMBA said it has been screened into the final stage of the 2026 Jays Cares Field of Dreams Grant. There is a precedent of funding a stage two application, for which they have made a submission.

”SMBA is requesting matching funds up to the amount of $200,000 commensurate with a Blue Jays Cares Award to be released in the 2026 budget year and a collateral letter of support for the project. This decision and letter ideally will be ready by Feb. 25, 2026, ahead of the submission deadline of Feb. 27, 2026," the report to council reads.

Staff’s recommendation, since council has already reviewed their proposed 5-year capital budgets, was to fund this from the electric utility capital reserve, as they did last time.

Coun. Richard Barkwill said he would be comfortable providing $65,000 to the project, which would have been the rest of the $250,000 council had previously agreed they would spend.

Coun. Doug Patan and Janet Peake disagreed, noting the citizens felt they had spent enough on the project.

"It does not matter if the money comes from tax dollars, if it comes from reserves, the money all comes from our citizens, our rate payers. And at this point, I'm sorry, but I think that our rate payers have done a phenomenal job by allowing us to give $185,000," Patan said.

Coun. Erin Trainer said she felt SMBA had proved itself with its work done so far and that she would be comfortable at a $65,000 mark of support.

"While it's not what you came here for, I think it's a compromise, given all the constraints that we have right now," she said.

Council approved the $65,000 in matching funds if the grant is successful, and a letter to support the project. Most of the funding will come from the electrical capital reserve.

"It would have been really amazing if they'd have given us the $200,000 and that we would be able to say, 'If we get this Jays grant, that we can just call it in, get the lights, and here we go,'" Melissa said.

"But I think we both very much appreciate that there are tax burdens, that there are other projects that the district needs to consider, and the fact that we were able to still get $65,000, I felt satisfied with that."

Field ready for play soon

SMBA is gearing up for its opening day on Saturday, April 18. Hosted in partnership with the Summerland Legion, the day will see a parade, speeches from local elected officials and a representative from the Blue Jays, whether it's a player or someone from the organization.

"We're going to have a game, and we've got a really special guest from Summerland who's going to be doing our opening pitch, someone who played on the field a long time ago," Melissa said.

"We just hope that our community shows up, and we hope our neighbouring communities show up, whether you love baseball or not, this is the place to be on April 18."

Local and neighbouring communities are invited to attend the festivities.

The team is still working on fundraising. To donate or find out more about the Field 96 Hendriks Jon Taylor Legacy Project, head to the GoFundMe page, here.

SMBA has also launched a sponsorship program for companies to place their signs on the field this year, with details below.

The Taylors expect to hear back from the Jays sometime in April about funding for Phase 2.