Bautista hosts annual golf event for charity

TORONTO — Jose Bautista did not have to drop out of school to pursue a career in baseball, and he wants to make sure some amateur athletes are afforded that same luxury.

Bautista grew up with a middle-class family in the Dominican Republic. His mother was an accountant, his father ran poultry farms and, regardless of Bautista’s ambitions to play professional sports, it was never allowed to take away from his education.

The biggest break Bautista received early in his career was when he received support from the Latin Athletes Education Fund, which helped baseball players from Spanish-speaking countries attend school in the United States. Bautista is now trying to repay that favor with the Bautista Family Education Fund.

“I think there has been a great impact,” Bautista said of his foundation. “Obviously, when you can help these kids into not giving up their dream to continue to play sports while getting their education, I think it’s a great opportunity. Some of them can find their way and figure out what they want to do in life without having to sacrifice either or.

“There are 37 right now in school — seven graduates already — the GPA cumulative is 3.4, which is unheard of. We raised our expectations a little bit, they seem to respond. We not only give them financial assistance, but we try to guide them and be the liaison between the kids and the school just to make sure they have everything …

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