Jacksonville Area Baseball plans Applebee's fundraiser July 8

A meal at Applebee’s on West Morton Avenue will do more than fill a table for Jacksonville Area Baseball: 10% of sales from the restaurant’s July 8 fundraiser will return to the local program. The all-day event runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 1721 W. Morton Ave. in Jacksonville, giving families a full lunch-to-dinner window to turn an ordinary stop into direct support.

Jacksonville Area Baseball is using the restaurant’s Dining to Donate model to raise money for the boys and girls who play in the organization’s baseball and softball programs. JAB and Pony Colt Leagues serve young athletes ages 4 to 16, and the money from a fundraiser like this helps keep those opportunities within reach for families across Morgan County. Youth sports carry costs that do not show up in a scorebook: uniforms, equipment, field upkeep, travel, league fees and facility expenses all add up over a season.

The program’s local footprint is already built into Jacksonville’s sports landscape. JAB has three baseball diamonds behind the American Legion in Jacksonville that it calls home, and the organization previously partnered with Future Champions Sports Complex in 2020 to play most of its games there after work on JAB facilities. That history underscores why even a single-day fundraiser matters. Baseball in Jacksonville is not just about one roster or one season. It depends on a network of parents, volunteers, sponsors and neighbors who keep the fields ready and the teams on the road.

The Applebee’s event offers a simple way to take part without writing a check or signing up for a shift. A lunch stop, an after-practice dinner or a family meal on July 8 will send a portion of the bill back to JAB. For those planning ahead, the Jacksonville restaurant lists its phone number as (217) 243-3654. In a community where access to sports often hinges on steady local support, the fundraiser turns one night out into a visible boost for the next generation of players.