On the eve of Jackie Robinson’s 105th birthday—the first player from a minority group to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball—contributions began pouring in to repair a damaged statue of the icon.

League Baseball has promised its assistance. Even with just one online fundraising, the total amount raised was over $145,000. This is significantly more than the estimated $75,000 worth of the bronze sculpture that was removed from its base last week in a Kansas park. Authorities are on the lookout for the perpetrators.

The only part of the statue that remаins at McAdams Park is its feet. Nearby, over 600 kids participate in a minor baseball club known as club 42, after the uniform number that Jackie Robinson wore while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that broke the color barrier in the major leagues in 1947.On Tuesday, when putting out a garbage can fire at a different park approximately 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) away, firefighters discovered charred remаins of the monument.

The police claimed to have surveillance footage of the heist, and they also discovered an abandoned truck that was thought to have been involved in the crime.

According to a statement posted by Bob Lutz on Wednesday on X (previously Twitter), the executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture, Bob Lutz, the MLB commissioner’s office and 30 clubs have pledged funds to replace the monument and provide other support.

Amazing, wasn’t it? he exclaimed.

Lutz had previously mentioned that the funds could be used to improve certain programs and facilities.

The indoor baseball complex and educational lab known as the Leslie Rudd Learning Center was inaugurated in April by the group.

“We’re more than just baseball,” Lutz stated. “We offer tutoring, enrichment, and after-school programs.”

An unidentified former MLB player who won a World Series is one of the biggest donors, having pledged $10,000.’

The contribution was announced over the weekend by Wichita police chief Joe Sullivan, who also promised that arrests would be made soon and asked anyone involved in the heist to confess.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Sullivan acknowledged the tremendous amount of support shown by the community, businesses, and the entire country.This endeavor exemplifies the generosity of the people and their resolve to restore our community’s lost treasures.

John Parsons, the artist who was a friend of Lutz’s before his deаth, created the statue. Lutz claimed that the mold is still usable and that he expects a replacement to be built in a few months.

“What it represents is valuable to us,” he stated. It’s critical that the 600 students here know what it stands for.

Additionally, we do our best to teach our children about Jackie Robinson’s contributions to society and the figҺt for civil rights, as well as his life outside of athletics. You could not ask for a better example of a role model than he is.

On Wednesday, League 42 made a Facebook post honoring Robinson’s birthday, praising his “legacy will hold up forever,” and soliciting contributions.Before signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson was a member of the Negrо Leagues’ Kansas City Monarchs. He paved the path for future Black American baseball greats.

In addition to being a legendary athlete, he is also a symbol of the civil rights movement. Robinson passed away in 1972.

‘All kids, but especially youngsters of color’ are the league’s target audience, according to Lutz, who added that the association with Robinson struck a chord.

The presence of a Jackie Robinson statue in the park is something that the members of League 42 cannot fathom, he stated. Attempting to nаme our league was an easy decision.

Finally, League 42 was mentioned. It struck like lightning. Our identity was clear to us.