Basebald
Published on July 12, 2012 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
Dear Friend,
Baseball season is in full swing. The Newport Gulls, St. Baldricks Foundation and Aquidneck Medical Associates, Inc are teaming up to propel the grueling fight against childhood cancer. The Newport Gulls family along with members of the community will be the first collegiate summer baseball program to "get bald" in solidarity with kids' fighting cancer. The Newport Gulls have set a goal for the event to raise $50,000 to fight children's cancer.
Over 160,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer each year, worldwide "" that's over 16,000 little league teams. In the U.S., caner is the number one disease-killer of kids "" every 3.5 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer and one in five will not survive.
While our family understands the macro-environment is placing extraordinary pressure on the world today, we believe our unique platform has the potential to rise above and take a swift, calculated and damaging blow to the hideous nature of childhood cancer. If our family is able to meet our goal, the 2012 Newport Gulls will partake in a head shaving ceremony following the conclusion of the game on Friday, July 20, 2012 at Cardines Field. The game and all the events between innings (first pitch, anthem, games) will feature kids with cancer from various local hospitals.
The focus of the evening will be centered on bringing awareness to the impact we, as a community, are able to have on this fight against childhood cancer. During the game we will be celebrating several children who, against all odds, have prevailed in their fight. The night however will be dedicated in loving memory to a member of the Gulls family.
John F. Montanaro III was born on August 10, 1991. He had a liver transplant when he was 11 weeks old, and grew-up as any typical, healthy little boy. He loved dinosaurs, trains, the color blue, and chocolate. His heart was captured mostly though by dogs! His love for them was immediate and everlasting. In August 2002, John was given his first dog. He was a white English Labrador Retriever and John named him "Yogi"- after his favorite baseball player, Yogi Berra. The two became inseparable. In January 2005, at the age of 13, John was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Later that year, Yogi was diagnosed with skin cancer. The two went through chemotherapy together, serving as loving and supportive friends for one another. Yogi's treatment ended after eight months, but John endured multiple relapses that caused his treatment to be ongoing.During the subsequent years John, while continuing with his valiant fight against leukemia, engaged in philanthropic endeavors to help those around him. John's selfless acts and courage should be an inspiration to us all. With great sadness, on April 26, 2011, John lost his battle with leukemia. John's final wish was for those who loved him to continue to contribute and to help carry on the work that he began.
The Gulls are asking our family to step up to the plate and find inspiration in this cause. We implore you to take this challenge personally, to make a difference, to save a life. We encourage you to donate and pass the torch to as many individuals, organizations, and families that you possibly can. Every dollar genuinely makes a difference. If you feel encouraged to help us in our fight, please visit www.stbaldricks.org/events/newport or send a check made out to St. Baldrick's Foundation to Newport Gulls BaseBald Night, PO Box 777, Newport, RI 02840 and make a donation. All donations are tax deductible and will make a significant impact. Best wishes,
Mike Melillo, Newport Gull 2008 & 2009
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- Basebald - Newport Gulls
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
