How an eighth grader combined his passions to help fundraise for Adena's baseball program

FRANKFORT — Hunter Williams has always been a go-getter. His mom, Cortney, can attest to that. The Adena eighth grader exudes enthusiasm for any one of the sports he's currently involved with — baseball, football and wrestling — all the while finding time for his other hobbies, such as fishing and hunting, when he can.

But the one passion that has enthralled Williams, outside of school athletics, is his knack for collecting sports trading cards.

Williams began the hobby through his uncle, who introduced him to it when he began taking an interest in football. Soon, the hobby progressed to packages arriving in the mail that contained cards and boxes he'd acquired through Facebook and Discord groups. He also began traveling to card shows around the state. The one problem he ran into, however, was that many of the shows within Ohio were often more than an hour's drive away.

Earlier this year, as spring sports entered the 2024 season, Williams found himself with a unique opportunity to combine his passion for Adena athletics and create a center for his sports card collecting that was closer to home. Cortney attends Adena's board meetings, and these meetings presented the two with a chance to help fundraise for the baseball program.

The result morphed into Williams' passion project, the Homerun Sports and Trading Card Show.

"There's not a whole lot of sports card shows around here, they're all an hour or two away," Williams said. "There's one sports card show every other month at one of the posts around here, and I wanted a bigger one. So, we had to figure out a place, and we figured the Adena gym would work. I thought we would just make it a fundraiser, so that I'm getting two-for-one. I'm helping the kids for baseball, which I like to do, and I'm doing sports cards which I always like to do."

The show has been largely Williams' brainchild. Although Cortney maintains a light touch by helping with the event's Facebook page and additional aid when necessary, Hunter has spearheaded much of the project's progress.

That progress is beginning to show. Hunter attended an Adena booster meeting to propose the fundraiser, reserved a spot inside Adena's high school gym for the event to take place and has even sent out emails to probe interest. He's brought in several sponsors already, with one donating a piece of Cleveland sports memorabilia that Hunter hopes to raffle off.

"I said, 'Go for it,'" Cortney said. "I told him I'd help him with stuff that I could but it was his thing. He reached out to get the gym reserved and he went to one of the booster meetings at Adena to talk about the fundraiser. He's been the one that's been reaching out to all of the different shops and stuff."

Williams hasn't been idle in reaching out to professional organizations, either. The Cincinnati Reds and their High-A affiliate, the Dayton Dragons, have been on his email list. A response from either team is not out of the realm of possibility. A show Williams once attended in Columbus had Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz make an appearance.

Williams isn't afraid to let the event branch out to other collectibles, either. Whether it be sports cards, memorabilia or trading cards of other varieties, Williams said he is open to letting anyone with an interest apply for a table. One of his distinct memories from attending other shows were the frequent sightings of booths that sold off jerseys and replica memorabilia.

Some might find organizing an event on this scale difficult. Williams, on the other hand, takes it in stride. He's found his golden ticket to mixing his two passions into one, all the while helping out the Warriors. He hopes, should this year's show be successful, to branch out to help other sports as well.

"That'd be absolutely awesome, because it could lead into other things, too," Williams said. "So maybe one year it could be baseball, maybe next year do another sport."

The card show is set for June 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the Adena High School gymnasium. Entry fees are $3, and anyone aged 13 and under can attend for free. Tables fees start at $40 for one eight foot table and booth, with $20 for each additional table as requested by the vendor applicant. Adena students also receive a discount should they wish to purchase a table as well.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Adena eighth grader leads fundraising effort for baseball team