Logo for Yankees HOPE Week

Yankees HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere & Excel Week) is an annual program run by the New York Yankees that celebrates "individuals, families, or organizations worthy of support".[1] Every Yankees player participates in the program with the "goal [of] personally connect[ing] with individuals in the settings of their greatest personal accomplishments."[2] It was started in 2009 "with the purpose of performing acts of goodwill to provide encouragement to more than just the recipient of the gesture."[3] It takes place every year in the summer.

History

HOPE Week was started in 2009. The Yankees said "this event is unique in that every player on the roster, along with Manager Joe Girardi, will participate."[4]

2009

In 2009, the program, which ran from July 20–24, honored a United States Army veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division who lost use of his arms and legs to Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). The veteran and his wife and son were invited to watch batting practice from the field before the game. They were surprised by a party in a suite in Yankee Stadium with several players and their friends and family.[5]

Several Yankees surprised two men who overcame learning and developmental diseases at their place of work at a law firm in New York, where they are mail room employees.[6] Other Yankees visited a sixth-grade Little Leaguer who has cerebral palsy but helps coach his team.[7][8] After the July 24th game, the Yankees hosted a nighttime carnival for people from Camp Sundown, which is for those who have Xeroderma Pigmentosum, a rare disease in which the body cannot repair cells damaged by UV light; those affected have to avoid exposure to sunlight.[9] The kids arrived at the game after sundown, but because of a rain delay, the game had not started, so they saw the game and did the event with the Yankees until sunrise.[10]

2010

The 2010 program ran from August 16–20. Manager Joe Girardi visited Jane Lang, a blind woman who attends about 30 Yankees game a season, at her home and invited her to meet the players at that evening's game.[11][12] A man from Sierra Leone, who has provided for his family since he was eight, immigrated to the U.S., and received a scholarship to go to college threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game, while a 13-year-old quadruple amputee was thrown a pool party with several Yankees.[13]

2011

In 2011, the Yankees held a barbecue with children from Tuesday's Children, an organization that supports children who lost parents on September 11th.[14] Several Yankees (including Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and CC Sabathia) took survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake on a tour of New York City and met Archbishop Timothy Dolan.[15] Other Yankees went to a Broadway performance by a 27-year-old who survived five brain aneurysms.[16]

2021

In 2021, 70 year old Gwen Goldman became Honorary Bat Girl for the New York Yankees during HOPE Week after the general manager learned about her rejection to play for the Yankees 60 years ago because she was a girl.[17][18][19]

References

  1. ↑ Hope Week 2011 Community Initiative Day Four; Thursday, July 28 - Megan Ajello
  2. ↑ Yankees Introduce Hope Week
  3. ↑ HOPE Week recipients treated to VIP tour
  4. ↑ Yankees Introduce Hope Week
  5. ↑ HOPE Week makes fan's wish come true
  6. ↑ Yankees conclude HOPE Week events
  7. ↑ Yanks' visit speaks louder than words
  8. ↑ Yanks' stars show up for community service week
  9. ↑ Video: NY Yankees host Camp Sundown for sufferers of rare genetic skin disorder
  10. ↑ Yankees brighten night for baseball fans suffering from rare skin condition
  11. ↑ "Touching Lives Instead of Bases (Published 2010)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17.
  12. ↑ New York Yankees accompany Morris Plains, N.J. resident Jane Lang to Stadium during HOPE week
  13. ↑ Yankees Spread Hope for Sierra Leone War Survivor From NYSE to First Pitch
  14. ↑ Yankees HOPE Week makes big splash
  15. ↑ HOPE Week recipients treated to VIP tour
  16. ↑ Daniel Trush's incredible journey inspires hope
  17. ↑ Neelam Bohra and Radhika Marya. "70-year-old woman fulfills her dream of being a bat girl for the Yankees, decades after she was told she'd 'feel out of place in a dugout'". CNN.
  18. ↑ "60 years ago, the Yankees rejected her request to be a bat girl. On Monday, they fulfilled her dream". www.cbsnews.com.
  19. ↑ "Yankees make Gwen Goldman a batgirl after 60 years - The Washington Post".
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