News
Cubs go beyond home base to lend hand
Dominican, Wrigley area receive plenty of support from club
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
11/25/09 4:00 PM EST
CHICAGO -- The Cubs reached out to help kids, cats, dogs and the community this year, and they made a huge contribution to people in the Dominican Republic.
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Last week, Cubs players Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall joined Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Billy Williams to present a $20,000 contribution to community projects in the Dominican Republic. The announcement was made at the Cubs' Dominican Academy in Boca Chica.
"It was a great day for the Cubs, obviously, but I think it was a good day for baseball," said Cubs player development director Oneri Fleita, who also attended the ceremonies. "Baseball's been played here since the late 1800s, and this is not just a pastime but a passion for the Dominican people.
"To be in a position to give back and do something for the community, it's not only good for the Cubs but good for baseball in general," Fleita said. "We've all reaped some rewards from this country."
Chicago Cubs Charities presented the money, done through the Major League Baseball Dominican Development Alliance (MLB-DDA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID matched the Cubs' contribution, and the $40,000 will support expansion of a surgical recovery room in Santiago, Dominican Republic, as well as additional educational initiatives.
Funds were raised at the second annual Rooters Ball, held on Sept. 2 at Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse. Cubs catcher Geovany Soto hosted the event.
Closer to Wrigley Field, the Cubs and McCormick Foundation announced $1.06 million in grants through Cubs Care to nonprofit organizations serving the Chicago area in April. Since 1991, the team has distributed more than $14 million to Chicago nonprofit organizations. The grants helped the Chicago Park District renovate its fields, provide a diamond for wheelchair athletes and assist low-income families as well.
The 2009 grants included $400,000 to organizations and programs within the Lake View community and more than $375,000 to the Chicago Park District summer programs, such as Inner City Youth Baseball and the Cubs Care Rookie League.
Ted Lilly and his wife, Natasha, reached out to help children, cats and dogs. The Cubs pitcher helped raise funds for P.A.W.S. Chicago, the city's largest no-kill humane organization which focuses on alleviating the pet homelessness problem. Lilly, who was the Cubs' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, was motivated by his wife, who is a veterinarian and has worked at a friend's small animal clinic in Chicago.
Since he joined the Cubs in December 2006, Lilly has contributed to the Cubs' designated charity that supports youth sports, children with special needs, victims of domestic violence and charities in the Lakeville/Wrigleyville community.
"If there's an opportunity to help out and I can, I like to do that," Lilly said. "It seems like we have a lot of opportunities to help people, and that's a good thing."
He also funds a charitable ticket program for disadvantaged youth. Lilly purchases about 500 tickets and provides $10 in "Cubs dollars" to each of his guests so they can enjoy lunch at the ballpark.
Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster also hosts children from the Chicago area for games through his "Dempster's Dugout" program.
Catcher Koyie Hill rallied his teammates to help make wishes come true. Hill will host a fundraiser on Dec. 5 at the Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan., to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Kansas. Hill rounded up autographed baseballs, bats and other items to be sold in a silent auction. Fans will be able to bid on the chance to be a bat boy for a day at a 2010 Cubs home game, tickets to a 2010 Notre Dame home football game and two tickets to a Cubs-Cardinals game in St. Louis.
Lilly, Dempster and athletic trainer Mark O'Neal hosted 60 kids at Wrigley Field in June as part of the PLAY campaign to talk about the importance of living healthy lives. PLAY stands for Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth. The kids learned agility, strength and conditioning drills at the event, sponsored by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.
Marmol and Angel Guzman took part in the grand opening of Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park, Ill., in May. The Cubs continued an annual Spring Training food drive to benefit Paz de Cristo in Mesa, Ariz.
Several players took time to visit patients at area hospitals. Milton Bradley, Jake Fox and Doug Glanville went to the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, and Dempster, Hill, Reed Johnson, Aaron Heilman, Ryan Theriot, and Micah Hoffpauir stopped by the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
