[外電] Pujols following in Clemente's footsteps
http://tinyurl.com/2bdzmc
09/05/2007 10:00 AM ET
Pujols following in Clemente's footsteps
Slugger leads group of doctors to Dominican to help sick kids
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols can't always quote chapter and verse when it comes
to baseball's past, but one historical figure he knows well is Roberto
Clemente. Pujols holds a deep admiration for the late Hall of Famer, both
because of Clemente's on-field skills as well as his humanitarian efforts.
So it's appropriate that for the third straight season, Pujols is the
Cardinals' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. Not only is the slugger a
superstar in the batter's box, but his Pujols Family Foundation does more
good work every year.
The Clemente Award recognizes the player who best exemplifies the game of
baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's
contribution to his team. It is named in honor of the former Pirates
outfielder whose spirit and goodwill will always be remembered. Clemente died
in a plane crash while attempting to transport relief supplies to
earthquake-stricken Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972. The winner will be announced
during the World Series.
The foundation took a major step forward in 2007, when Pujols led a group of
doctors to the Dominican Republic to tend to roughly 1,000 poor children in
need of medical assistance. Pujols missed the Cardinals' trip to the White
House in order to participate in the mission.
"It's a little bit of everything," Pujols said at the time of the trip. "Just
giving love to those kids, cleaning teeth, seeing what kind of surgery they
need. ... Taking clothes, food, whatever we can do to help those kids out.
You're talking about kids that lost their mom and dad when they were six
months old, a year old. They haven't gotten love from their parents. We want
to give that."
The foundation was established in 2005, with the stated mission to "live and
share our commitment to faith, family and others." Pujols hosts an annual
celebrity golf tournament to raise money for the foundation, and he is active
in local causes -- particularly the Down Syndrome Association of St. Louis.
But it was the mission to the Dominican that showed what the foundation might
really be capable of. Like Clemente, Pujols has prioritized the betterment of
his homeland and of Latin America in general. He hopes to make the medical
missions an annual event.
"Right now, we're going to go one year at a time," Pujols said. "But
obviously our goal is to try to do it every year.
"I want to concentrate one year at a time. But this is something that we want
to do every year, to go to a different country and help people out."
In May of this year, Pujols helped make another mark in the Dominican. The
foundation presented $65,000 to the Children of Christ Orphanage in the
Dominican to help build a vocational school for orphans.
"Our main goal," said Pujols, "is to share with them what God has done in our
lives and in my career, and what he has done throughout the foundation."
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 122.124.19.194
AlbertPujols 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
