'Mission' accomplished: Rangers continue Legacy project with clinic revamp

ARLINGTON -- Tillie Burgin was 13 when, while living with her family in South Korea, she found her life’s calling: to help those in need.

Eight years after she returned to her hometown in Arlington, Texas, she founded Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex, a medical clinic dedicated to providing free healthcare and help to in-need communities.

“She is the embodiment of what we stand for at MLB Together,” said April Brown, the senior vice president of Social Responsibility at MLB. “It’s together with community partners, with players, and our baseball clubs to make change and to open doors for those who don’t have access to certain resources. Tillie embodies all we can accomplish through our sport, using the power to do good.”

The Texas Rangers Foundation and MLB Together on Thursday unveiled the completed expansion of seven new patient rooms and a triage room to Mission Arlington’s medical clinic. Along with the rooms, funds from the World Series Legacy program were specifically designated for the clinic's new pediatric rooms -- one of which was decorated with the stadium to honor the team's 2023 Fall Classic appearance.

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The initiative was first announced during the World Series Legacy program, just hours before the first pitch of the Fall Classic was thrown.

“My first reaction was unbelief,” Burgin recalled when she heard the news. “I couldn’t imagine that people who are esteemed and admired would even think about us. When I met Karin and I met April, I knew God had put us together and I was just so humbled.”

Mission Arlington has been partners with the Rangers Foundation for decades. Players and staff alike have been first-hand witnesses of Mission Arlington’s impact as they have volunteered or worked with the nonprofit.

When the opportunity arose for the Foundation to provide funding for Mission Arlington, Burgin did not hesitate in asking for the investment to go into the medical clinic -- one of the organization’s signature services -- where the group sees between 12,000-15,000 patients per year and provides more than $5 million worth of medical care to patients at no cost.

“Access to healthcare, helping these families, expanding what they’re able to, immediately was a perfect fit for what Major League Baseball wants to do and what we want to do in the community,” said Karin Morris, the executive director of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.

Mission also supports the Arlington community, providing emergency aid services to nearly 2,000 people daily, including emergency funds, food, medical and dental services, clothing, furniture, counseling and more.

The project marks the first combined MLB Together and All-Star Legacy initiative that a club began during the World Series, then celebrated during All-Star festivities the following year. The All-Star Legacy project is also the first to be instituted by reigning World Champions.

The celebration at Mission Arlington’s medical clinic was also one of the rare occasions in which MLB Together witnessed the ripple effect of their efforts. Shortly after the expansion was complete, local organizations were funding and volunteering to update the existing clinic. New flooring was placed and other renovations are still ongoing.

“We know it happens every day throughout the country with all of our clubs,” Brown said. “But whenever we can witness it in person and meet those local partners who make that difference, it’s incredibly touching and it just solidifies that for us MLB Together is a widespread initiative and movement that uses the power of our sport to make a difference off the field.”

Thursday’s event was not just the unveiling of the expansion, but also a dedication to Burgin’s passion to help others in need and the growth of her life’s work.

“Oftentimes people have a vision of what they want to do but then they run into some rough patches and they throw the towel,” former Rangers catcher Dave Valle said. “She didn’t and she continued on and because of Tillie, tens of thousands of people in the Dallas Metroplex have been touched and helped and impacted.”