KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Kansas City is the summer's hottest ticket. While the event will bring in some big stars and plenty of fans, it will also help some local veterans in need.
The All-Star Game will come and go this July, but its foundation will be laid forever.
"This project is one of several because the All-Star Game is coming to Kansas City. We call this the Lasting Legacy event," Toby Cook, spokesperson for the Kansas City Royals, said.
It's one of the many charitable projects chosen by Major League Baseball. This year, volunteers will refurbish a building located at 4251 Northern Ave. in Kansas City for the new VA clinic.
"This is going to be a branch of our VA hospital. We've grown over the years and space is at a premium," Dr. Michael Moore, the vice president of the Kansas City VA Hospital said.
The new wing, which will be named the VA's Honor Annex will feature a women's clinic and a mental health facility for all veterans in addition to other health care needs. Volunteers from Bank of America, which contributed $66,000 to the project, freshened up the parking lot with landscaping and the inside with a fresh coat of paint.
In addition to the new women's wing and the mental health facility, the new annex will contain a children's area with a baseball theme.
With 45,000 veterans to serve in the metro area, the VA said the clinic was long overdue.
"We've had the War on Terror and we are starting to see more and more of these new-age of veterans coming to see us. We expect to see more and more as we draw down over there. It's great to bring them the services they so deserve," Moore said.
The Rebuilding Together organization and the Kansas City chapter of Christmas in October also donated to the cause.
The project is part of a series of community and charitable projects leading up to the 83rd MLB All-Star Game. The grand opening of the clinic is scheduled for July 7.
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