Walton County takes great pride in its youth sports, and 2021 saw Paxton’s 12U Softball team of girls 12 and under, and 10U Baseball team of boys 10 and under going to the World Series. And while they may not have come home with a win in that last round, the success in tournaments leading up to it were a high point for the teams as well as their hometown of Paxton.
Regina Arnold and Heather Stewart are both parents of team members who went to this year’s World Series, and described the outpouring of support from the local community and beyond as one of the most rewarding parts of the program. “Paxton is a very small, tight-knit community that’s onboard and gets excited and rallies every time to support the teams, whether we’re having a bake sale, collecting donations outside Publix, asking for raffle items…people really show up,” says Arnold. “The TDC donated bags and sunglasses to represent Florida on the girls’ trip to Virginia for the Series, and it was a huge highlight for the team. They loved it.”
Stewart, who played state championships herself growing up, adds “We have about two weeks from winning the tournaments to leaving for the World Series. It’s a fast turnaround for fundraising. This is truly a small town, so we try to extend our reach beyond the city limits.” Not only did the surrounding community support their efforts, they had several anonymous donors at the thousand-dollar level as well as major contributions from larger companies like Caring & Sharing of Walton County, Archer Construction, and Merrifield & Pilcher Realty. In the end, Arnold says, the biggest challenge wasn’t finding support and funding from the community, but “finding a hotel with a pool that was open for the kids.” Small towns for the win.
