Civilian Clothing
Did you wake up this morning and put on your Marlins t-shirt? Well so did Officer Cohen of the 380th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron.
Did you think twice when you slipped on your ”civilian clothing” this morning? Me neither. In fact, I wear whatever I want basically every day. Though I’ve heard this kind of phrase many times in my life, today I realized that I am able to wear whatever I want every day thanks to those who sacrifice for me every day – like Officer Cohen and his squadron.
When Officer Cohen’s squadron was approved to wear civilian clothing during off hours, the Marlins took the opportunity to send some t-shirts for their wardrobe. It seemed like a simple gesture on our part, but after receiving a heart-warming note from Officer Cohen, I realized that it’s more than a simple gesture. Through t-shirts, the squadron feels closer to home, they are reminded why they do what they do.
Officer Cohen put it perfectly, “Our undisclosed location may be thousands of miles away, but this helps us feel a little more like home”.
To learn more about everything the Miami Marlins do for the military, click here.
Doing the Most Good – by celebrating Father’s Day
Today, Marlins Ayudan team “Marlins GI’s” got to celebrate Father’s Day a few days early! This morning the team hopped in a van and headed over to visit their neighbors at the Salvation Army. Once everyone had hairnet s in place, aprons tied, and gloves on, it was time to get down to work. The team headed to the kitchen, filling bowls with cheese and salsa, and scooping fruit for an extra special Father’s Day Luncheon.
Later, around 75 residents of the Salvation Army Shelter showed up to be served by Marlins Ayudan. In addition to the delicious lunch prepared by our new friend, Myrna, residents receive d tickets to the upcoming Father’s Day Marlins game and a cool new Marlins Ayudan shirt to wear to the game!
Some highlights of the day include the Executive Director of the Marlins Foundation acting as a walking Mariachi, streaming music from his pocket to liven up the celebration, the Premium Services intern learning how to use a can opener, and Billy the Marlin surprising the 4-year old little girl resident who got stuck on repeat exclaiming, “Billy the Marlin, Billy the Marlin, Billy the Marlin!”
Marlins Ayudan and Marlins GI’s had a great time celebrating Father’s Day at the Salvation Army – whose tagline is “Doing the Most Good”. Not only did we have fun, but we also got to witness how that organization puts theirs tagline into action every day, and we were thrilled to be a part of it for this one special day!
Ayudan to the Rescue
An entry by Marlins Foundation Intern, Jose Capote:
This past Wednesday Marlins Ayudan team, The Voice, spent their morning at Miami Rescue Misssion. Our team of Marlins Front Office staff helped to serve lunch to hundreds of homeless in Overtown. I was taken back by how excited all the men and women were to see us there. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had with Marlins Ayudan to date. Take a look at some pictures from that day:
Adopt-O-Mania @ Marlins Park!
This Sunday, June 2nd at Marlins Park save a life and find your new best friend during Marlins Adopt-O-Mania pet adoption event. Join Marlins Ayudan Team, The Voice, Miami-Dade Animal Services, the Humane Society of Greater Miami and the Cat Network from 9:00am – 2:00pm in finding a new home for hundreds of animals.
With over 150 pets on site Marlins Adopt-O-Mania will offer:
• Reduced fee pet adoptions
• Free vaccinations
• Free spay/neuter – MUST call and register for appointment prior to event
• Dogs – Call 3-1-1 for appointment
• Cats – Call 305-233-9958 or email meowmobile@thecatnetwork.org for appointment
The first 100 guests to adopt a cat or dog will receive 2 free tickets to any July 2013 game.
For more information visit marlins.com/animals
…and the winner is? Megan Diaz
“I WON THE RBI SCHOLARSHIP!!!”
That was the text message I received last Friday to kick off the weekend.
Immediately I was overcome with excitement as if it were I who had been awarded the scholarship, telling anyone who would listen how another one of our RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) players had been awarded Major League Baseball’s “RBI for RBI” Scholarship. Megan Diaz, a senior at Miami Senior High School and a third year RBI participant, became the sixth player in the past five years to be awarded this prestigious $20,000 national scholarship presented to notable members nationwide of the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program.
In her senior year, Megan served as captain for her high school softball team while excelling in the classroom, maintaining a 5.24 GPA and completing multiple advanced placement classes. Following the RBI season, Megan will be taking her talents up to Gainesville, FL, to attend the University of Florida, where she will study to become a pediatrician. Megan also has aspirations of walking on to the Gators’ softball team.
Personally, receiving the news about Megan was a thrill for me because I had the privilege of serving as her RBI coach for the Miami High School team (my alma mater) during the regular season, and then again on the All-Star team. Last summer Megan made the All-Star team and despite not having played in any of the first three games, she kept a positive attitude, supporting her teammates and staying prepared to contribute when the opportunity presented itself.
In the final game of the tournament, Megan entered as a late game defensive replacement in a tie game in right field. As the softball gods should have it, in the bottom of the 7th inning with two outs and a runner on second, the opposing team smoked a base hit to right field and with the winning run rounding third base, Megan fielded and came up firing. Players came spilling out of the dugout, but not because the game had ended, but because the runner was called out on Megan’s game-saving rocket throw! The game would eventually end in a tie, but it was the program’s first non-loss since 2009, and I could not have been more proud.
Megan shared with me that this was her most memorable moment playing RBI and when asked about it said, “I felt awesome as I ran into the dugout and saw my coach with a smile from ear to ear. I will never forget that moment!”
I hope she also knows that it was one of my most memorable moments not just as a coach, but also since becoming a member of the Miami Marlins.
For more information on the “RBI for RBI” Scholarship visit http://www.mlb.com/rbi
-Juancho
Adrian Mora
David Allende
Joanne Messing
Juancho
Angela Smith
sgaywood
Sarah
