Major League Baseball Umpires (L to R) Erich Bacchus, Ryan Wills and Clint Vondrak took time out before a Spring Training Game in Port Charlotte, Florida, to give Ryker amd his parents a day to remember at the ballpark. Ryker is part of the Sunshine Kids Foundation which brightens days for kids battling cancer.
iOur spring lineup card was full – and we’re just getting started with our programs in this, our 20th Anniversary season!
Throughout Spring Training, we were busy!
Here’s a rundown of our activities:
3 – Bowling tournaments run by Minor League Baseball Umpires to support our programs
2 – Visits at children’s hospitals by Major League Baseball Umpires at Phoenix Children’s and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Umpires delivered 200 Build-A-Bear furry friends and lots of smiles to young patients and their caregivers.
2 – VIP meet and greets for kids from the Sunshine Kids Foundation and The Miracle League with MLB Umpire crews before Spring Training Games (thanks to the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Astros for helping us make those visits possible!)
2 – Official Leadership Program events (a one-day clinic in Inglewood, California, in partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers and with financial support from the LA84 Foundation, and a six-week course on Long Island!)
1 – Our first Spring Training Getaway Weekend event in Florida, hosted by retired MLB Umpires Sam Holbrook and Tim Timmons (thanks to the Boston Red Sox for their help with our special meet and greet at JetBlue Park!)
Major League Baseball Umpire Supervisor Larry Young (left) and MLB Umpire James Hoye (right) take time out to deliver Build-A-Bear joy for kids undergoing medical treatment at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida.
Minor League Baseball Umpires banded together to support UMPS CARE Charities through annual Spring Training bowling tournaments in Arizona and Florida!
Larry Young, one of the founders of UMPS CARE, spends time with a young patient during a visit at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
More than 40 teens participated in a one-day Official Leadership Program umpiring clinic in Inglewood, California, through a partnership with the LA84 Foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers.