History and Mission Statement

Vienna Baseball Foundation - History and Mission Statement

History

The Vienna Baseball Foundation was founded in 1989 and incorporated on August 17 of that year. The organization's primary mission is to further the interest of baseball at all levels with funding for projects that are above and beyond the reach of small community organizations.

The original funding of VBF was from the sale of 6.2 acres of land near the intersection of Route 123 and Courthouse Road in Oakton, Virginia, originally purchased in 1966 by Vienna Little League for $32,000 for the purpose of building a baseball field. $6500 was put down on the land and a loan for the remainder was taken out. At the time, VLL did not have the additional funds required to build the field, but the league paid the loan off after five years and then held the land until 1988 when it was sold and the proceeds transferred to VBF to be managed and used for the benefit of the league.

The money in the fund was first used in the early 1990's to do some much needed refurbishment to Yeonas Park, the land area that was designated by the Yeonas family for the purpose of providing Little League fields for the youth of Vienna. Almost $750,000 was expended in re-grading and placing sod on fields, adding lights, fixing drainage and erosion issues, adding snack bar and storage facilities and a variety of other smaller projects. No major projects have been undertaken since that time though VBF has continued to fund projects requested by Little League to make the league run more effectively.

Funds provided to VBF as well as any funds raised by VBF are managed by a Board of Directors appointed by the founding members of VBF. Each director is elected for a three year period, and may serve for two terms, to be replaced by another prominent figure in Northern Virginia when the term expires.

Mission Statement

The objects and purposes for which the corporation was formed were to promote and foster local, district, regional, national and international competition in the sport of baseball as deemed appropriate by the Vienna Little League and the Vienna Baseball Foundation Boards of Directors. VBF was also formed to support and develop amateur athletes for competition in the sport of baseball and to engage in other such activities as may be necessary and proper to accomplish these objectives.

The most important purpose of VBF's efforts is to support Vienna Little League's long term capital goals, which are not covered in VLL's annual operating budget. These include long range plans to improve fields, to build needed administrative buildings at Yeonas Park and to provide other facilities such as batting cages or indoor practice facilities that would allow Little league to better develop its young players.

The financial goal of the Foundation is to manage an existing endowment fund to provide a reliable and continuous source of income to further the Foundation's purposes set forth above. And, when that fund is drawn down to a certain level to engage in fund raising activities to increase the fund to the ultimate benefit of baseball in our area.

The corporation is organized and run as a 501 (c) (3) organization under the Internal Revenue Service code and is exclusively for the charitable and educational purposes listed above.

No portion of the net earnings of the corporation shall go to the benefit of its directors, officers or other private individuals, or organizations operated for a profit, except that the corporation may pay reasonable sums for services rendered.