Florida Ballpark to Be Named After Jake Owen
It's no secret that Jake Owen loves sports almost as much as music, and soon, the singer will be able to see his name on a baseball field! Jake Owen Field is set to open this summer in the country star's hometown of Vero Beach, Fla.
Owen was surprised with the news of the honor in December, during the sixth annual Kevin Harvick Foundation Dinner, Auction and Concert. The "American Country Love Song" singer is a longtime friend of Harvick's, and was at the NASCAR champion's yearly fundraiser to perform; however, Owen ended up being surprised when Harvick announced that a Youth Development Park that's scheduled to open in the summer of 2017 in Vero Beach will be named in his honor.
“This sports complex is going to literally change children’s lives and provide such a positive impact on our community of Vero Beach,” Owen says (quote via the Kevin Harvick Foundation). “I’m so proud to call Kevin Harvick a friend, and forever grateful for his continued generosity towards our foundation and many others.”
Dedicated to supporting programs that positively enrich the lives of children throughout the United States, the Kevin Harvick Foundation is teaming up with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation for the new ballpark. The latter foundation works to build character and teach critical life lessons to disadvantaged youth residing in America’s most distressed communities through baseball- and softball-themed programs and ballparks.
Owen is known for his philanthropic work supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and local children’s charities in and around the Vero Beach area through the Jake Owen Foundation, and it's not the first honor he's received from the sports industry. On Feb. 7, the singer will be presented with the Arnie Award, as part of Golf Digest’s Golfers Who Give Back event at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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