Royals legend helps Gold Glove Week thrive

Frank White is no stranger to gold. He did, after all, win eight Gold Gloves during his days as the starting second baseman for the Kansas City Royals.

But that color took on a completely different meaning on Friday afternoon at Edwardsville City Park, where White donated his time to a charity autograph signing.

It was an exciting opportunity for fans of all ages to meet with with a local baseball legend and donate to a good cause at the same time. The event was part of the Parks and Recreation Department's Gold Glove Week, which is a fundraiser aimed at rounding up money to fight childhood cancer, specifically through Children's Mercy Hospital.

While White certainly did his part to make the fundraiser a success, so many others were involved as well. Parks and Rec lead Mike Martin said Friday that the week-long initiative had raised right around $5,000. Other fundraising efforts included a silent auction for autographed items and the sale of special Gold Glove Week t-shirts. The primary sponsor for the event was Homestead Motors, led by owner Mike Reid.

"When [Martin] approached me and said that 100 percent of the proceeds were going to Children's Mercy, we were all in," Reid said. "We get approached by tons of people on a daily basis for donations, and obviously this is close to home for us, in our own community. It's just an awesome event that we wanted to be a part of."