Veazey and Yeats

TIFTON — Chance Veazey will travel to the Atlanta area later this month for an evening of Atlanta Braves baseball, friends and a ceremony which will see a dog named for him at SunTrust Park.

Veazey will be in Atlanta July 28 as part of the Field of Second Chances program, a joint effort by Andee’s Army and Canine Companions for Independence. Both he and Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz will have assistance dogs named in their honor at the ceremony, which will take place before the Braves’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The presentation is set for 6:45 p.m.

“It’s an awesome honor,” said Veazey.

Veazey said he knows what a dog can offer.

A dog can “help you cope.”

“It’s hard to be down when around an animal,” he said.

A standout on the diamond at Tift County High School, Veazey was projected to be a starter as a freshman at the University of Georgia. In October 2009, however, he was involved in an accident on his scooter in Athens which left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Following the accident, Veazey finished his degree at UGA. He now operates a State Farm office on 12th Street.

Veazey operates his own foundation, Second Chance. Work obligations have kept him from working with the foundation as much as he would like. He has also worked in the past with Athletes Brand.

He is not exactly sure how he connected with Andee’s Army and Canine Companions for Independence.

“They reached out to me,” he said. “They said, ‘We’d like to name a dog in your honor’.”

Veazey believes their partnership stems from an August 2017 story written for ESPN. The article, “Dodgers’ Kyle Farmer, Alex Wood share a tattoo tribute to paralyzed former teammate” was about the bond the three players share.

Farmer, Wood and Veazey were teammates with the Bulldogs. Wood and Farmer have tattooed tributes to Veazey on their arms, “Second Chance.” (Wood also carries a tribute on his glove to Veazey and Johnathan Taylor, a Georgia player who was paralyzed in an on-field collision in 2011.)

Farmer, who has bounced back and forth with the Dodgers’ big league club the last two seasons, has eight runs RBIs in 63 at-bats this season.

“Alex,” said Veazey, “is rolling.”

Wood, who came up with the Braves, is 5-5 in 2018 with a 3.84 earned run average. He went 16-3 a year ago (after an 11-0 start) and in six years in the Majors, has accumulated a 48-38 record.

It is a bonus for Veazey the ceremony will involve the Braves and Dodgers. Not surprisingly, he was “always a Braves fan growing up,” but because of his connection with Farmer and Wood, he will be wearing neutral colors.

This will be the first time Veazey and Foltynewicz have connected. Foltynewicz, who is fourth in the National League with a 2.37 ERA following a start Friday, has himself been part of several charities in Atlanta. That includes Folty Fridays, which has seen him deliver pizza to schools and other children’s organizations.

Andee’s Army is an Atlanta-based non-profit organization for children that has provided grant money for those with neurological injuries. Canine Companions for Independence is a non-profit providing assistance dogs at no cost. More information about the event can be found at www.andeesarmy.org/braves.