Story Created:
Sep 5, 2011 at 10:47 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Sep 5, 2011 at 11:03 PM EDT
EDMESTON, N.Y. (WKTV) - Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench paid a visit to Pathfinder Village on Monday and had some fun meeting and interacting with the residents of the community for people with Down syndrome.
The 1989 Hall of Fame inductee is the celebrity host for the 29th Annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open and Pro-Am Golf Tournament at the Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown. The proceeds from the event go to Pathfinder and it's tradition for the host to visit the community every Labor Day.
"The Hall of Fame really believes in Pathfinder," Bench said after his visit. "Once you come out here and experience what really happens out here, I've been close to some down syndrome kids and some physically challenged kids and mentally challenged kids for a long time."
The Cincinnati Reds legendary catcher has a lot of experience interacting with people affected by the disease as his neighbor has it and he also grew up near a community in Oklahoma similar to Pathfinder.
"I'm working with a professor at the University of Cincinnati and he believes that he's got something that may help in the near future," says Bench. "We're trying to find a way to create why the brain does what it does and why it has missing genes and why some things happen."
Bench was the 1968 NL Rookie of the Year, a fourteen time All-Star, ten time gold glove winner, two time NL MVP and two time World Series Champion in 1975 and 1976, winning the World Series MVP award in '76 with the "Big Red Machine," beating the Red Sox and Yankees in consecutive years. He retired in 1983 and now enjoys giving back to places just like Pathfinder.
"This is a fantastic place for a person to grow and to experience. Just as we saw in the gym today, these kids were interacting and they were playing and there was no expectations, all there was, was their world at that time, they'll hit. Pathfinder gives everybody an opportunity to have an alternative."
FOR MIKE LEVIN'S FULL INTERVIEW, CLICK HERE
