SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Jason Benetti, the voice of the Chicago White Sox, will speak at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Oct. 18 to share his stories of baseball and life with cerebral palsy.
Born 10 weeks prematurely, Benetti had a respiratory illness that deprived his blood of oxygen. His cerebral palsy was diagnosed when Benetti was a toddler, and he underwent years of physical therapy and two surgeries to improve his ability to walk. Benetti has risen to the top of his profession, broadcasting for the White Sox, ESPN and now Fox Sports.
The free event takes place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the ALPLM’s museum building, 212 N. Sixth Street, Springfield. Doors open at 6 p.m., giving visitors a chance to explore our latest exhibit, “Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory.” Make your reservations at www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov/Events.
Resilience is a thread that runs throughout the “Stories of Survival” exhibit. It also applies to Benetti, who has never let barriers, whether physical or the perceptions of others, define who he is. His resilience was fully on display in college, as he balanced life on the air with studying for degrees in broadcast journalism, economics and psychology at Syracuse University and later a law degree from Wake Forest.
In addition to his broadcasting success, he has worked with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation to produce the lighthearted “Awkward Moments” video series and took part in its “Just Say Hi” campaign.
Benetti’s appearance at the ALPLM is part of the “For the People” speaker series, which features bold thinkers with unique insights into the people of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – some 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.
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