Baseball's Chuck Bailey Honoured By Sheila Reynolds Staff Reporter Surrey Leader Mar 14 2007

A fixture in the local baseball scene for nearly 50 years, Chuck Bailey was named Monday as one of 44 B.C. Community Achievement Awards winners.

The awards, announced by Premier Gordon Campbell and Keith Mitchell, chair of the B.C. Achievement Foundation, are meant to honour individuals who work for the betterment of their communities.

Their commitment and generosity are inspiring and an example to us all, Campbell said in a release. Bailey was recognized for his volunteer work with youth baseball.

He’s been a leader and coach with Whalley Little League for more than 46 years, and helped establish the Challenger Baseball Program, which provides children with special needs the opportunity to play ball with other kids.

Bailey was also honoured as a community mentor at the Leader newspaper’s Community Leader Awards last year, at which time he said the key to working with youth in sports is to remember it’s just a game.

"Let the children have fun and they’ll play ball for you", he said.

At 75, he remains president of Whalley Little League as well as its parent organization, B.C. Little League.

This is the fourth year the provincial awards have been handed out. An independent advisory council selects the recipients.

The winners will attend a formal ceremony at Government House in Victoria April 25.