http://www.bcrnews.com/2012/07/23/jonny-yerly-making-a-hit-to-help-others/c137v17/?page=1

Jonny Yerly making a hit to help others

One of my favorite sports persons in the Illinois Valley, isn’t a big star or a winning coach. I write about those folks all the time and probably not near enough of people like Jonny Yerly of Ladd.

Johnny is the inspiration for the Johnny Yerly Classic softball tournament, which was started in 2010 to help him promote handicap awareness. Johnny, 28, a big Chicago sports fan, has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. He lives in Spring Valley with his parents, Bruce and Beth. It is his wish to help others with handicaps.

“I think at the time we came up with the idea three years ago, we didn’t foresee taking it as far as we have,” said event organizer Eric Carls, and a cousin to Johnny, and a member of the Verucchi’s softball team. “This has been his dream to be able to give back and take a stance against something that has hindered himself and many others. The tournament weekend and the non-for-profit organization in his name “Jonny Yerly Foundation” is a way to make this dream become a reality for him.”Carls said many people take the everyday things in life for granted, being able to walk, run and throw a ball. He was one of those kind of kids at times, and his mother would always remind him about the challenges his cousin endures.“I thought long and hard about what she was trying to say to me, and this was one way for me to help give him something,”

Carls said. “I’ve grown up a sports fanatic, and like many others, have been touched by stories like the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer, and my uncle Jimmy D’s local Foundation for cancer, so I figured why not help Jonny, who shares my love for sports, use something like this to be a vehicle to his ultimate goal of promoting handi-cap awareness and helping those who need it.”

The third annual classic, to be held Aug. 1-6, promises to be bigger and better than before. There are 15 local softball teams participating in a pool play style format tournament. Carls said they hope to add women’s teams next year.

This year, Jonny is going to recognize the Lighted Way and Horizon House with monetary donations from the Foundation and will begin setting up an annual scholarship fund to be awarded in the upcoming years. More information will be available on his webpage
Carls said he owes a lot of the success to his Verucchi’s softball teammates who are lifelong friends like Casey Neill, Derek Baird, Brant Baltikauski, Eugene Sebben, TJ Orlandi, Jason Burkiewicz, Adam Curran, Ryan Milus, Paul Perona, Michael Andreoni, Brad Foster, Mark Dempsey, Tony Orlandi, JoeSobin, Eric Yerly, Dale Carls and Michael Swingel. He says Larry Happ and Mark Grzybowski of the LaSalle Softball League have also been a big help.
Last year’s tournament champion was RePhil’s, who defeated Verucchi’s in the title game.
For more information, visit www.jonnyyerlyclassic.com.
• Jerry’s kids: I’d like to commend Jerry Fairbanks of the Walnut Park District for his continued hard work running the Western Bureau Valley League and tournaments. Jerry’s in for the kids, but I know it’s thankless job, especially when it comes to adults who forget it’s a kids game.
• Princeton native Mike Bickerman, now head football coach at Rushville-Industry High School, recently took his son, Tyler, to see some real heroes. Along with Tyler’s grandfather, Jim Bickerman of Princeton, they took in the Wounded warriors softball team’s game vs. the Springfield Fire Department. Tyler, 7, is pictured here visiting Nate Lindsey, an outfielder for the Wounded Warriors. As RIHS football coach, Mike Bickerman has annually had his team and fans involved in supporting the Wounded Warrior Project.
• Well, the old sports editor (boy, I sure can’t use the word old loosely anymore) celebrates a birthday today. Nothing special this time as last year when I hit a milestone and was kidnapped to St. Louis for a Cardinals game. This time, I’ll just take another Redbird sweep in Chicago this weekend.
Kevin Hieronymus is the BCR Sports Editor. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com