Leaving UK, Kim forms League of Angels
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Sarah Hardwig, an event participant who is known for her singing voice, sings the National Anthem as “Angel of the Game” Austin Hankins displays the flag. - Photos by Alan Sloan
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Levi Hill, 11, a sixth-grader at Farragut Middle School, makes contact on the tee during Town of Farragut’s first League of Angels baseball experience for people with special needs, which took place at Mayor Bob Leonard Park in late afternoon, Saturday, Aug. 24. - Photos by Alan Sloan
A talented first baseman/designated hitter for the Farragut Admirals (Class of 2021) who helped FHS win a 2019 state championship, Tanner Kim played two years of baseball in the Southeastern Conference at Kentucky — but something much more important than UK Wildcats Baseball developed.
“I felt God calling me home to Knoxville” to help challenged children, teenagers and adults alike, said Kim, who became founder and president of League of Angels, which allows people with special needs to use a ball and bat to simulate playing baseball on a big stage.
According to the League of Angels’ mission statement, “We are committed to sharing the transformative power of baseball to individuals with life challenges.”
This new nonprofit, founded by Kim in the summer of 2023, would partner with the Town of Farragut “to demonstrate how baseball can be enjoyed by people of all abilities,” a Town press release stated.
“The motivation for the foundation was strictly from God,” added Kim, now a UT junior majoring in management at the school’s Haslam College of Business. “ … God put it on my heart to start last year (while attending) City Hills Church.”
While in Lexington, Kim volunteered with Miracle League, an organization with a mission quite similar to League of Angels. “The (Miracle League) kids were just having a blast,” Kim was quoted as saying in a story released by Haslam College of Business.
Saying he was previously consumed with the pressures of being a student/athlete at UK before the Miracle League experience, “… It was such a perspective change for me,” he also stated in the Haslam release.
The first League of Angels diamond celebration in Farragut, in partnership with the Town, happened late Saturday afternoon into early evening, Aug. 24, on Mayor Bob Leonard Park’s main soccer field along North Watt Road.
“We had around 15 participant players this past Saturday, with ages ranging from 9 to 30, but we are open to all ages during our events,” Kim said. “We also had north of 55 volunteers for our event.
“It was a huge success because we got a lot of people to come see a League of Angels event and got the Town of Farragut more involved,” he added. “Our vendors and food trucks also got to be involved, and a lot more people got exposed to our foundation. We were able to raise money and continue to grow.”
Of special note, “Sarah Hardwig was our National Anthem singer; she is blind, but has gotten a music scholarship to Belmont (University in Nashville) and has sung with names as big as Steven Tyler,” Kim said. “We were super happy she was able to make the drive all the way from Nashville to sing and also play in our game.”
The roughly three hours of baseball simulation included all players first hitting off a tee, while the other players fielded the plastic ball connections.
Then came the climax: a Dawgs versus Falcons game, where each participant got to hit an underhanded pitch from Kim, then round the bases and score.
Among the playing participants, Austin Hankins was named “Angel of the Game” — and it’s no wonder why. “He’s outgoing and athletic,” said his father, Greg Hankins. Austin earned the right to hold the American flag while Sarah sang the National Anthem.
Also on hand were Austin’s mother, Missy Hankins, and his sisters, Lauren Stansbury and Morgan Beiber. Tommy Kim, Tanner’s father, handled all filming of the event, “and he is one of our executive directors (who) also helps my girlfriend, Faith Kitts, handle all of our media, video and social media,” Tanner said.
Looking ahead, “We will have another event in the next month or two,” Kim said while stating the location and exact time and location must still be worked out.
“This event will be similar to the event on Saturday minus the food trucks and the vendors. The game itself will be very similar, with some fun new games we like to play at each base.”
For more information about future LOA events, or if an athlete is interested in participating in League of Angels events, visit theleagueofangels.org.
