IN ADVANCE OF THE TOTAL ECLIPSE, THE NCAA WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR TOURNAMENT AND THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS’ HOME OPENER, SPORTS OFFICIALS CARE AND UMPS CARE CHARITIES TEAMED UP TO DELIVER 100- BUILD-A-BEAR® FURRY FRIENDS TO YOUNG PATIENTS AT CLEVELAND CLINIC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
April 5, 2024 – Sports Officials Care teamed up with UMPS CARE Charities, the official philanthropy of the Major League Baseball Umpires, to deliver 100 Build-A-Bear® furry friends and solar eclipse glassses today to young patients undergoing medical treatment at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.
Including today’s delivery of 100 Build-A-Bear® stuffed toys, the umpires also provided 100 outfits for the furry friends, baseball-themed activity books, crafts and solar eclipse glasses to young patients and their caregivers who wanted to get into the spirit of the upcoming total eclipse. Cleveland is in the “path of totality” on Monday, April 8 – the same day as Cleveland Guardians’ home opener – so we thought we would bring baseball fun to kids.
Representing Sports Officials Care for this visit were NFL Replay Official Mark Butterworth, who worked Super Bowl LVII in 2023 and Charlene Lybbert, an NCAA Division II basketball referee who worked the Ohio High School final four state championships this year. With the NCAA Women’s DIvision I Final Four in Cleveland, we were thrilled to have a women’s basketball referee part of our crew!
Retired Major League Baseball Jerry Meals, who makes his home in Northeast Ohio, was joined by his wife, Robyn, and by the umpire crew working Opening Night for the Akron Rubber Ducks to deliver the Build-A-Bear® stuffed toys to kids at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. Matthew Blackborow, Charlie Welling and Garret Griffin, all Class AA Minor League Baseball umpires, went straight from the hospital to the baseball diamond!
“We wanted to bring the excitement of the upcoming solar eclipse to kids in the hospital,” said Jennifer Skolochenko-Platt, Executive Director at Sports Officials Care. “There is a lot of excitement in Cleveland with the eclipse, the Guardians’ home opener and the NCAA Women’s Final Four, and this was a way we could capture that fun for kids who are facing medical challenges. The umpires could deliver Build-A-Bear® stuffed toys and solar eclipse glasses as a way to let these kids get their minds off of their treatment for a bit and have fun.”
