Some baseball camps and clinics tout their services by offering hardcore instruction that will help young players reach the next level.

And then there’s some like the Justin Henry Baseball Camp.

Henry, the former Vicksburg High, Ole Miss and minor league baseball standout, promises that children attending his camp Saturday at Halls Ferry Park will get quality instruction. It’s about more than that, however. The camp is a fundraiser for Vicksburg Family Development, a local charity that provides local residents with a number of services for children, teens and families.

“I get to get together some other local guys that have played and give something back to the community, and also raise money and awareness for an organization that does something good for the community,” said Henry, who played eight seasons of minor league baseball and is now a scout in the Detroit Tigers’ organization.

The Fifth Annual Justin Henry Baseball Camp is Saturday at Halls Ferry Park, and will be split into two sessions. The first is for children ages 4 and 5, costs $25, and will run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The second session is for children in kindergarten through seventh grade, costs $55, and will run from 1 to 4 p.m.

On-site registration is available, but early sign-up is encouraged. Parents can register their children online through the Vicksburg Warren Athletic Association’s web site at sports.bluesombrero.com/vwaabaseball, or at Vicksburg Family Development at 1205 Monroe Street. For more information, call Vicksburg Family Development at 601-638-1336.

“It’s best if they can sign up ahead of time to help everything run smoother, but they can register the day of,” Vicksburg Family Development director Kay Lee said.

The camp’s instructors are Henry, his younger brother Jordan, Michael Brown, Larry Allen, Pierson Waring, Gerald Mims, Blake Rice, Jerry Bourne, Tanner Woodson and Ben Shelton. All of them played college baseball, and all except Rice played or coached for one of Vicksburg’s high school programs.

“We’ll have five different areas set up with hitting, fielding, baserunning and throwing. You’ll have 20 or 30 minutes at each station, and get some pointers on things you can work on at home or as they start their season,” Justin Henry said. “It’s a lot of fun. We hope that the kids come out and learn something, and enjoy playing baseball. It’s a great time. We just hope we can keep it going.”

So does Lee. Her organization is celebrating its 40th year in the city, and she said the baseball camp has become its biggest annual fundraiser. Approximately 100 children participated last year.

Proceeds from the camp help fund a number of VFD’s programs, Lee said. Among them are pre-natal and parenting classes, home visits to help young mothers and a preschool program for 2- and 3-year-olds. Later on, VFD offers a mentoring program for children ages 10-17 and its Girls Club and Male Image programs that focus on preventing drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy and school failures.

The focus of all of the programs is early intervention, Lee said.

“Our vision statement is strengthening families for a brighter tomorrow,” Lee said.
Lee added that while the camp is a fundraiser, you can’t spell that word without “fun.”

“We have wonderful sponsors that help cover our expenses. We want this to be a fundraiser for us, but it to also be a neat experience for the kids,” Lee said.

JUSTIN HENRY BASEBALL CAMP
• The Fifth Annual Justin Henry Baseball Camp is scheduled for Saturday, March 4, at Halls Ferry Park.
The camp will have two sessions. The first is for children ages 4 and 5, costs $25, and will run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The second session is for children in kindergarten through seventh grade, costs $55, and will run from 1 to 4 p.m.
• On-site registration is available, but early sign-up is encouraged. Parents can register their children online through the Vicksburg Warren Athletic Association’s web site at sports.bluesombrero.com/vwaabaseball, or at Vicksburg Family Development at 1205 Monroe Street. For more information, call Vicksburg Family Development at 601-638-1336.
The camp is a fundraiser for Vicksburg Family Development.