UMPS CARE Charities celebrated the start of the baseball season by organizing a special Opening Day event with our longtime partners at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx.
Although our MLB umpires were not able to make this visit in-person, they definitely were there in spirit!
UMPS CARE shipped 100 Build-A-Bear® Workshop furry friends and outfits, all-new activity books and crayons to the hospital. We have teamed up with the Child Life staffers to make this event possible, sending them face masks and other goodies, including a restaurant gift card, for our partners at the hospital who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic.
Major League Baseball Umpire C.B. Bucknor, who makes his home in Brooklyn, sent a special video message to the kids, reminding them that the umpires “have their backs” this season.
To see C.B.’s inspiring message to the kids – click here!
This event was spotlighted through an article and videos in USA TODAY! Check it out here
“Our umpires cannot be there in person this season, but they wanted to share the excitement of Opening Day and brighten the spirits of children undergoing treatment in the hospital who really are in need of a smile,” said Jennifer Skolochenko-Platt, Executive Director at UMPS CARE Charities. “Our partners at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore always make our visits so special, and we are grateful for their continued support for this program.”
This visit marks the 174th time umpires have delivered Build-A-Bears® to kids in hospitals since the program’s inception in 2006. UMPS CARE is proud to have distributed more than 17,500 Build-A-Bears® to kids across the country and in Canada for this program. Our goal is to deliver Build-A-Bears and smiles to a dozen children’s hospitals in 2021.
UMPS CARE Charities wishes to thank Major League Baseball for its support for this event and Bristol Myers Squibb for their support of the UMPS CARE Build-A-Bear® program.
Thank you to the staff at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore for all of their help with this event and for the amazing photos!
