Wacha family gives back in Texarkana

Kansas City Royals and Pleasant Grove alum Michael Wacha made his return to Texarkana today to put on a kid’s sports clinic to help support the local Salvation Army.

Kansas City Royals and Pleasant Grove alum Michael Wacha made his return to Texarkana today to put on a kid’s sports clinic to help support the local Salvation Army.

“It’s just a way to get the community together and get a bunch of kids out here and help get them active and spread our love of sports around the town,” Wacha said.

Kids 1st-8th grade had the opportunity to learn from some of the best talent in the area, including high school, college, and professional coaches and athletes. Students from Pleasant Grove and Liberty-Eylau joined in on the cause, as well as baseball players from Texarkana A&M.

“I think it’s just really neat because as a young kid I would have loved to see all the high school guys here and see them just out here helping,” Pleasant Grove’s Buck Anderson said. “These are the guys that I looked up to and it’s hard to put myself in those shoes and think about it, but the kids are the same age as I was now. They look up to me and my friends, and so it’s really neat for us to be a part of their memories and their life.”

Giving back to the community

The kids had the opportunity to choose two sports out of football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball to spend the day practicing.

It was also a good opportunity for the whole Wacha family to give back to the community that raised them, in more ways than one.

“This town, this city, this community shaped who I am,” Wacha said. “Coming out here and seeing the support that we get, doing this camp and raising a lot of money for the Salvation Army and Boys and Girls Club and getting scholarships for some kids that need it, it’s really an amazing, amazing weekend.”

Memories of a Lifetime!

And for the kids, the hope is that it’s a day they will cherish forever.


“I just hope they take away some core memories that just stick with them for a long time,” Anderson said.

“Hopefully they leave here and they’re tired, going back to their house. I’ve got a young daughter now, so I know the importance of wearing out the children, before going back to the house,” Wacha said. “But hopefully they have a lot of fun out here.”

Wacha Familt give Back to community
Rodney Payne

Rodney Payne

Editor and news aggregator for TexarkanaOnline.com

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