UMPS CARE Charities was founded in 2006 through the compassion of the Major League Baseball Umpires who wanted to give back to the communities in which they work.
We wanted to honor umpires at all levels who are giving back, and created our Umps Who Care campaign and our Heart of Gold awards.
Congratulations to Arthur Bookert Sr., who is our first Heart of Gold recipient. We received so many nominations for umpires across the country doing amazing work, and it was hard to choose just one winner. But Arthur – better known as “Mr. Bookert” – topped our list.
We surprised Mr. Bookert by having Major League Baseball Umpire Alex Tosi deliver the news about the Heart of Gold Award in a Zoom call.
At 72, Mr. Bookert has been umpiring for more than four decades. He is known in his community outside of Columbia, South Carolina, as a warm-hearted umpire who loves working with kids and teaching them about the game. One of the kids who views him as a mentor is Kyson (in photo above with Mr. Bookert).
“The kids of the Pineview rec league, where he has been umpiring for over a decade, are always happy to see Mr. Bookert,” said Octavia Scurry, Kyson’s mom. “The local travel ball community of Lexington all recognize and see the umpire with the huge heart and smile.”
“Personally, my son, Kyson, aka “Kyson the Kid Umpire,” has looked up to Mr. Bookert since he was five years old playing in the Pineview rec league,” she added. “Mr. Bookert is always just a call away whenever Kyson needs him and is a great mentor. Mr. Bookert is someone that is doing this job selflessly for the kids every time he steps on the field and we all can see it and love him for it.”
Mr. Bookert received five nominations for the Heart of Gold Award! Nominations are now open for our next Heart of Gold Award, which will be announced in January. Finalists for the award are eligible for future honors and do not need to be resubmitted. Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination!
