MLB Umpires Wally Bell and Laz Diaz welcome Astrudge, Flora, Kelvis, and Russell to Yankee Stadium for a game between the Mariners and Yankees. Astrudge is a Wendy's Wonderful Kids (WWK) recruiter for You Gotta Believe! She works to move children in the New York area from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes.

Wendy’s Wonderful Kids is the direct-service signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption that combines the fundraising of Wendy's and its customers, aggressive grants management of the Foundation, and the talent of experienced adoption recruiters throughout the nation and in Canada to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. About the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program

Guest Comments:

"Kelvis and I were taken down beneath Yankee Stadium by Dan Weiss of the Yankees community relations group to meet umpires Wally Bell and Laz Diaz. Together, we walked out onto the baseball field. Mr. Bell and Mr. Diaz were very friendly and both have a great sense of humor; they had us laughing frequently while they described their jobs.

For Kelvis, a Yankee fan in his heart and soul, this was a very special day. I have never seen a more enthusiastic fan who predicted, rather accurately, that the Yankee would win.

Please thank the umpires and Mr. Weiss of the Yankees for giving another one of our WWK kids a fun filled time." - Astrudge McLean

Additional Photos:



Special thanks from the umpires to:

• Dan Weiss, Yankees Community Relations for taking part in BLUE Crew Tickets. The New York Yankees are committed to promoting and sustaining cordial and cooperative relationships with their neighbors and working with them to enhance the quality of life throughout the surrounding communities. Yankees Community Overview


• Chaperone Astrudge McLean for helping provide an enjoyable day at the ballpark.


• The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) for your dedication toward dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America’s foster care systems waiting to be adopted. Learn More about DTFA

Labels: bell, crew, diaz, mlb, mlbpaa, naso, neweracaps, nyy, wwk

PHOENIX, AZ (April 22, 2008)—On April 29, Major League Baseball (MLB) Umpires Laz Diaz, Wally Bell, and Mike Winters visited with pediatric patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Organized by BLUE for Kids, they offered words of encouragement and distributed Build-A-Bear Workshop® stuffed animals to children coping with serious illness. The visit to Phoenix Children’s Hospital was the first of twelve hospital events scheduled by MLB umpires in 2008.

Media Coverage
Umpires give kids a 'bear'-y happy day
By Mark Thoma / MLB.com


Event Photos
Click for photos on our Flickr page

Comments
Comments from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) employee Troy Hansen who participated with the umpires. Troy shared these words in a letter to fellow BMS representatives and we think it summarizes the event rather well.

Hello John and Peggy:

I wanted to tell you of my experience this past Tuesday at the Phoenix Children's Hospital. I was able to join Samuel Dearth who represents BLUE for Kids, as well as three Major League umpires. With the help, in part from a BMS grant, BLUE for Kids secured Build-a-Bear stuffed animals for children who were residents at the hospital.

MLB Umpires Laz Diaz, Mike Winters, Wally Bell and I were able to visit several floors of the hospital and bring some smiles to the children. It was really an awesome experience to see these kids light up when they were handed a stuffed animal. They then got to select from several choices an outfit to go on the animal. If even for just a brief moment, these children felt good and whatever illness or pain they were subjected to, drifted away in the softness of a new friend. Their eyes told the story and the expressions on their faces will be engraved upon my mind for a very long time. The umpires were very compassionate and caring with the children. And although in their profession these umpires need to be tough and firm, they were truly gentle giants.

I am so grateful for this opportunity. It makes me count my blessings every day. Thanks for allowing me to participate. I had a great time. Thanks Peggy and John. And my thanks go out to Samuel. He did an outstanding job and kept us organized and on track. - Troy Hansen

Special thanks from the Umpires to:

• Wendy Pauker and Allison Bell of Phoenix Children's Hospital. You both were incredibly helpful in creating a wonderful experience for everyone.


• Troy Hansen of Bristol-Myers Squibb for taking time out of your day to help create a memorable experience for children coping with serious illness and injury. Big League BLUE Reach presented by Bristol-Myers Squibb. As always, a huge thanks to Peggy Carroll for your role in identifying BMS representatives to assist at each event.
• Participants of the Get Stuffed and Pass It On program who raise donations for stuffed animals distributed at each of the hospital events.


• John Ralph, Christie Cowles, and Mark Thoma of MLB.com for your time and interest in sharing such a wonderful story with MLB.com viewers.


• Mark McClune of FSN Arizona for your time and interest in sharing this story with Fox Sports Net viewers.

Labels: ari, bell, bms, comer, diaz, mlb, reach, winters

MLB Umpires Laz Diaz and Wally Bell welcome Ben, Xavier, Heather, and Greg to Fenway Park as a part of BLUE Crew Tickets. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America's foster care systems. Wendy's Wonderful Kids is the signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. Learn more at http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/

Event Comments

Heather Guyette

Even though the Red Sox lost yesterday, we had an AMAZING time! The baseball
experience was incredible. I would like to believe that for one day, while
taking in all of the sights and sounds of Fenway Park, Ben and Xavier felt like
two kids enjoying a ball game rather than two kids in foster care. As an agency
as well as a larger community, I strongly believe that we can offer waiting
children in foster care far more normalized experiences and yesterday's trip to
Fenway was just that sort of experience! While I cannot speak for Ben and
Xavier, I'm sure their feedback would be valuable for you as you assess the
experience and your work with the Dave Thomas Foundation.

Kate Dempsey of the Red Sox Community Relations group was welcoming and personable and escorted us directly on to the field where we stood in wonderment. We were greeted by umpire's Laz Diaz and Wally Bell who were warm, friendly, and genuinely invested in making the experience memorable for Ben and Xavier. I think the boys felt even more special when curious onlookers were not permitted to approach the umpires when they met with Ben and Xavier. Ben and Xavier marveled at the souvenirs that they were given by the umpires as well as a bag of Red Sox goodies from Kate. They pointed out their favorite players, prayed for a home run, sampled the concessions and wore their Red Sox gear proudly. The temperature neared 90 degrees and though acknowledging the heat, the boys did
not mutter a single complaint- with the exception of the game loss....They both
snored in the back seat on the way home.

Greg and I feel equally honored to have shared the game experience with Ben and Xavier. We are truly grateful for the invitation and would be delighted to provide any additional feedback that would make the continuation of the baseball experience possible. I believe that BLUE for Kids and The Dave Thomas Foundation have created something truly incredible.

Carolyn LaCaresse

I met with both the boys who went to the Red Sox game on July 15 and thought you would like their feedback. They were both thrilled at having gone down on the field and expressed their pleasure that other fans were looking at them, wondering what made them that important. Xavier stated that his favorite part was the autographed ball. Ben really enjoyed being able to watch a game, but wished David Ortiz had hit a homerun! Both boys said they wouldn't have changed anything about the game and realize that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. So thank you again for providing these deserving boys that chance to enjoy Fenway Park!

Special Thanks To

• Kate Dempsey and the entire Red Sox Community Relations team for assistance at the ballpark.
• Heather and Greg Guyette for taking time and being with the boys for this special day.
• Carolyn LaCaresse, Wendy's Wonderful Kids Recruiter
• Robin Campbell, Connie Ackert, and Rita Soronen of The Dave Thomas Foundation for working with us to provide experiences for children in foster care awaiting adoption.

Labels: bell, bos, crew, diaz, mlb, wwk

MLB Umpires Laz Diaz, Bill Welke, Wally Bell, and Mike Muchlinski welcome Julio, Samuel, Joseph, and Julian to Angel Stadium as a part of the BLUE Crew Tickets Program.

THANK YOU! - Julio Leyva-Sainz and Lisa Marie-Kaye of the Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services for getting Julio, Samuel, and Joseph the chance to catch an Angels game!

THANK YOU! - Lindsay McHolm of Angels Baseball. You truly went above and beyond in support of the umpires. The pictures are fantastic and we'll see that each guest receives an 8x10 to remember their Angels game experience!

MORE Photos: 2007 BLUE Crew Ticket Photos

Labels: bell, crew, diaz, laa, mlb, muchlinski, welke

MLB Umpires Laz Diaz and Wally Bell welcome Joshua, Noah, Sandra, and Michael to PNC Park as a part of the BLUE Crew Tickets Program. Joshua, Noah, Sandra, and Michael are mentor/youth matches with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh.

Want to make a difference in your community? Be a mentor!

THANK YOU! - Michelle Mejia (Pirates Community Relations) and Cheryl Jones (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh) for your role in making this a wonderful experience for everyone.

MORE Photos: 2007 BLUE Crew Ticket Photos
ABOUT Big Brothers Big Sisters: www.bbbs.org

Labels: bell, crew, diaz, mlb, pit