A Compelling Vision Bill Wright grew up loving sports. Football allowed him to be a champion. It gave him the ability to dream. To dream big. If he could be considered a hero on the gridiron, why couldn’t he be a hero in his own life? Sports allowed Wright the chance to leave a trouble childhood behind and develop into a successful and respected man. If sports made such a difference in his life, he reasoned, they certainly could play a positive role in helping others set and meet their goals.
All it takes is one trip to a Kings game to see that Wright’s vision has come to fruition. “It’s overwhelming, my dream come true. It truly shows me that if your heart is in the right spot, your dreams come true. My life has been a dream come true and so are the Kings,” says Wright. In 2005 the Kings won the Frontier League Championship, but the Kings were also honored to have been warded the 2005 Governor’s Service Award for Outstanding Corporate Citizenship. It seems Wright’s vision is twenty-twenty. “I hope the championship will bring a little more exposure for the team so more people will know about it and we can become bigger and can do more,” says Wright. “Doing more doesn’t mean winning more championships or doing more athletically, but rather doing more for the community.” Wright chose a team of co-owners that held his same belief system in regard to the Kings. Like-minded community leaders that saw the King’s Organization as a unique way to reach out to people in the community. Baseball would be the venue for that stewardship to make a difference for their town. What will 2008 bring the Kings? A steady increase in community service and the goal to put winners on and off the field at Homer Stryker Field. |
Bringing a unique and successful baseball franchise to Kalamazoo became a compelling vision for Wright, President, Kalamazoo Kings. But the Kings would not be just any team. The foundation, the very reason for the Kings'' existence, centered on Wright’s own unique belief system. They had to be champions on and off the field. Role models. Young men choosing every day to do the right thing. To play with passion. To play fair. And to live their lives in the best possible way. Setting examples for their fans young and old.
The Kings – from owners to the players to the volunteers – are involved in all kinds of community service. Mentoring. Motivational Speaking. Fundraising. Reading Programs. Challenger Little League. The list is endless.