CORBIN, Ky. (LEX 18) — The baseball field in Corbin was the kind of place you'd find 8-year-old Eli Hill. His mom, Ashley, said he was easy to spot.
"The first thing you would notice about him is his fiery red hair and his huge smile," Ashley Hill said.
It was his personality, though, that really stuck with people.
"Kindness just radiated from him and he was just a great person to be around," Ashley said.
Eli's dad, Adam, said baseball was a huge part of their relationship.
"It was something we shared together. I think that was obviously a big part of it. I love baseball, so I think he saw that and just picked up on it,"
A year ago this month, a basketball backboard fell onto Eli, killing him.
"Every day is a challenge for us. Every single day," Adam said.
It turns out, the biggest comfort to Ashley and Adam Hill is to look to Eli's kind spirit.
"After his accident, we found out about so many things that he had done for other people that we had no idea about," Ashley said. "Like sneaking snacks into people's backpacks at school that he felt like maybe didn't have the snacks at home,"
They started the Eli Hill Foundation, raising money for various causes, like the Corbin Backpack Program.
"We were honored to give them $18,000, with 18 signifying his baseball number," Ashley said.
This Friday and Saturday, Corbin High School will host the inaugural Eli Hill Invitational, a day full of baseball and family fun to raise money for the foundation.
"We were just very excited to hear that they wanted to kind of wrap their arms around our family and continue that," Ashley said.
At the little league field, where Eli played his first t-ball games, there's a new marker - a rendering of Eli's signature, a reminder of the little boy who loved baseball.
"He had been working on his signature. He was going to be an MLB star. This was his signature at the time. It's an 'EH'," Ashley said.
Ashley and Adam hope Eli's little brother could one day play on Eli Hill Field.
"That would be very emotional, but it would also be wonderful. I think Asa, our son, would be honored to know that this was for his brother," Ashley said.
Whether on the field or in the community, they know a lot of people will know Eli's legacy.
"His impact has already been far greater than any impact I could have ever hoped to have made," Adam said.
Ashley and Adam say of course, they'd be honored to have people come out to this invitational and donate to the foundation, but more than anything, the thing that means the most to them is for people to go out and do good in Eli's name.
