• Beth Paladino and the entire Phillies community relations staff. See how the Phillies are making a difference in the Philadelphia and surrounding communities. Phillies Community Overview


• Mentors Lisa and Scott Knoflicek for serving the all important role of youth mentor and for sharing in a unique baseball experience with the kids.
  
• Adrienne Hessert of Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania for identifying two deserving matches for the game.

Labels: bbbs, crew, diaz, mlb, phi

• 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

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

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/

GUEST COMMENTS

"We had fun and our seats were great! Everyone was so kind. We enjoyed the tour and the umpires because they took time to explain a few things to us. We want to thank BLUE for Kids, Beth Paladino of the Phillies, Ms. Gwen and Ms. Delores for taking us to the game, but especially the umpires for their time. We hope to get another chance to go and this time we know the Phillies will win. Go Phillies!!" - Jonathan and Mario

"We had a wonderful time accompanying Jonathan and Mario, and we enjoyed the game ourselves. We feel the beauty of it all is the "collaborative effort" the agency workers put forth to share this opportunity with Wendy's Wonderful Kids. We salute BLUE for all that they do to enhance the lives of children." - Gwen and Delores

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

• Beth Paladino and the entire Phillies Community Relations team for assistance at the ballpark.
• Delores Brown and Gwendolyn Tunnell for taking Jonathan and Mario to the game.
• Tabor Children's Services, Inc. in Philadelphia and The Dave Thomas Foundation for working with us to provide experiences for children in foster care awaiting adoption.

Labels: crew, diaz, mlb, phi, welke, wwk

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 and Bill Welke welcome Matt, Trinidad, Michael, and Jose to AT&T Park as a part of the BLUE Crew Tickets Program. Matt, Trinidad, Michael, and Jose are mentor/youth matches with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area.

GUEST COMMENT (Michael Sanchez) - "Many thanks to Laz Diaz and Bill Welke for hosting Jose and me and Matt and Trinidad (Big Brothers Big Sisters Bay Area) at the Giants vs. Rockies game on Sunday. Jose was wide-eyed as Laz and Bill greeted him and escorted him to the field to watch batting practice. The sound of the ball hitting a wooden bat was unique to Jose as Laz explained that big leaguers use a different type bat than little leaguers (aluminum). Then the umpires created a special meet and greet with Steve Finley of the Rockies and he introduced himself and gave hitting tips to the boys...he was great with the kids and it was unique to experience the professional relationship between player and umpire. Needless to say, they were excited to meet a big league player and we when returned to the umpires' room for a final goodbye, the umpires gave sound advice to the boys to stay in school, do their homework and work hard. To cap off the day, Steve Finley pinch hit in the later part of the game and hit a foul ball which I caught and presented to Jose as a memento of our day and capped off celebrating the one-year anniversary of our "Big" and "Little" relationship. Thank you for the wonderful experience!"

Want to make a difference in your community? Be a mentor like Matt and Michael!

THANK YOU! - Erin Reilly/Bobby Baksa (Giants Community Relations) and Neepa Patel/Dawn Kruger (Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area) for your role in making this a wonderful experience for everyone.

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

Labels: bbbs, crew, diaz, mlb, sf, welke

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

MLB Umpires Laz Diaz and Bill Welke welcome Matt, Gabe, John, and Rachaad to Kauffman Stadium as a part of the BLUE Crew Tickets Program.

Want to make a difference in your community? Be a mentor like Matt and John!

THANK YOU! - Ben Aken (Royals Community Relations) and Jonathan Hile/Michelle Petersen (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City) for your role in making this a wonderful experience for everyone.

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

Labels: crew, diaz, kc, mlb, welke

MLB Umpire Laz Diaz welcomes mentor/youth matches to Osceola County Stadium to watch the Blue Jays play the Astros. Want to make a difference in your community? Be a mentor!

THANK YOU! - Anthony Washington / Rob Walter / Russanne Kelley (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida) for your role in making this a wonderful experience for everyone.

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

Labels: crew, diaz, mlb

MLB Umpires Laz Diaz, Jeff Nelson, and Greg Gibson welcome Steve and Alex to Osceola County Stadium to watch the Phillies play the Astros. Steve and Alex are a mentor/youth match with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida.

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

THANK YOU! - Cheryl Owens / Jennifer Williams (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida) 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: crew, diaz, gibson, mlb, nelson