Major League Baseball umpires Adrian Johnson, Manny Gonzalez, Junior Valentine and Jeremy Riggs took time out from working the Cleveland Guardians-Pittsburgh Pirates series this week at PNC Park to deliver 100 stuffed toys, outfits, crafts, activity books and more to kids who are in the hospital.
This delivery at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh marks our 198th visit to a children’s hospital dating back to 2006. With this visit, UMPS CARE is proud to share that we have delivered 20,165 Build-A-Bear® furry friends to children undergoing medical treatment in pediatric hospitals across the country and in Canada.
“The Major League Baseball umpires are thrilled they are able to return to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and deliver Build-A-Bear® furry friends to kids who need a dose of joy while they are undergoing treatment,” said UMPS CARE Charities Executive Director Jennifer Skolochenko-Platt. “This will be our first visit to Pittsburgh since 2019, and we are so excited to be able to see the young patients in person again!”
Check out this great TV segment which aired on KDKA about the visit!
Special thanks to our partners at Eisai and our donors for their financial and volunteer support for the Blue for Kids hospital program. Thanks also to Abigail Dean for capturing these special moments. You can see more of her photographic work at @abigaildeanphotos on Instagram.
