The BLUE for Kids hospital program brings a crew of Major League umpires to the bedside of children with life-threatening illnesses, and they don’t come empty-handed. Each crew brings a Build-A-Bear® Workshop experience right to the hospital room!

While a hospital stay can be a frightening time for children and their families, the BLUE for Kids program lifts the spirits of all involved. Children outfit stuffed teddy bears, puppies or monkeys while sharing high-fives and words of encouragement with the BLUE for Kids crew. When available, the home team mascot tags along making it a fun and memorable day.

Our MLB Umpires were determined to continue this program even during the pandemic. Although they could not visit the kids in person, the umpires wanted to make sure these kids knew they were not forgotten. These kids were more isolated than ever – in some cases, moms, dads and siblings were unable to visit them – so the umpires teamed up with our longtime Child Life partners to make sure we could still make special deliveries.

UMPS CARE made sure the Build-A-Bear furry friends arrived well in advance to be quarantined properly. We also created recorded messages from umpires so they could still feel the umpires’ presence when their new stuffed toys were delivered. When possible, umpires took time out to play bingo baseball on Zoom or closed-captioned television with kids and participated in special Q & A sessions. In addition, UMPS CARE created all-new, baseball-themed activity books and branded boxes of crayons to keep kids busy as many hospital playrooms were closed because of the pandemic.

In a typical season, UMPS CARE makes about 15 hospital visits. Thanks to the support of the MLB Umpires, our sponsors and supporters, we are looking forward to getting back to a full schedule soon! 

UMPS CARE is proud to say that we did not stop caring for kids even during a global pandemic.