One thing I enjoy about returning to my hometown is when I get to run into people from my high school years and earlier. On my way out of the airport, I was able to run into another guy that I haven’t seen since high school. All through high school he was a star athlete and people knew that he was going to be a dominating baseball player if he got the chance. Unlike most baseball players, David decided to go to college and play a few years before taking his career to the big leagues. The last couple of seasons, David has been one of the star middle relievers for the New York Yankees and has begun to make a name for himself in Major League Baseball.
Despite playing for the Yankees, I can still consider David a pretty good guy. Actually, the reason he was in Birmingham was because he and his wife set up a foundation to raise funds and support for the recent storm. Later last night, David had a game in Seattle, but he was down for the day to film a short commercial bringing more awareness to the recent destruction in Tuscaloosa. I’m always impressed when professional athletes will take the time to come raise awareness for something other than themselves, especially when it’s still mid season.
Our conversation was short and just in passing, but I was pretty impressed that he would pitch the night before, fly down to Alabama, and then head to Seattle where he might be pitching again. One thing I’ve seen is how upset some Tuscaloosa natives that aren’t able to be around have been. I’ve been getting messages from people that just feel so helpless being hundreds of miles away, but you don’t always have to be here to make an impact. David was only in Alabama for a little over a day, but the commercial that he is filming will be seen by people from all over. Also, the money that is raised through his foundation will be able to go straight out to help to rebuild the town that David can still call home.
My hope is that all of these Tuscaloosa natives won’t just feel bad about not being around, but they’ll take the chance to use their resources to still help out. You don’t have to be there or film a commercial as a professional athlete to make a difference. Sometimes it’s just as easy as encouraging the people that are down there working hard or sending resources or other volunteers to continue the work. The one thing we need to realize is that several months from now, there will still be plenty to do. And as much as the volunteers working now would love to see an end to their work, they may be exhausted before the work is. There is plenty for us to do, and if there’s not enough work, I’m sure Joplin and a few other towns could use just as much help. Those towns need the response that we’ve gotten too. We need the local church to keep stepping up across the States. There’s a lot of work to be done around here…
