It’s a million dollar idea with a million dollar name attached. Former Orioles Cal Ripken, Jr. and Bill Ripken help to cut the ribbon on a new Harrisburg youth park provided by Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and supported by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. It’s a one million dollar state of the art facility that provides a safe place for kids in the community. Ollie’s President/CEO Mark Butler was widely recognized as the key figure in making the park a reality. It is officially called the Mark and Betty Butler Field at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Park. The facility is located at and will be managed by the Harrisburg Boys and Girls Club. They will work closely with the Cal Ripken, Senior Foundation to create and run programs for the kids in the area. The new park has an astroturf synthetic field, digital scoreboard and a green monster wall in right field.
“You can’t help but say wow when you come out,” said Bill Ripken. “I was part of one a couple of years ago in Richmond and I remember seeing the overhead shot after we did it and the aerial view was spectacular.” Cal, Junior added, “we were happy to use our influence, to bring our foundation to the table to help out. But really as you heard by all the remarks out there, Mark and Betty deserve all the credit.”
In addition to the park, Ollie’s will donate 200 thousand dollars over the next two years to support the programs. The Harrisburg park is the 13th of 50 development parks planned for the country by the Cal Ripken, Senior Foundation.