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ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI - FOX2now.com) -
You expected Cardinals fans to hound Ryan Howard at Busch Stadium. He is a St. Louis native, an all star first baseman, so he is the one Philadelphia Phillies player this city loves. But there's another who seems to love this city. Last week, pitcher Jamie Moyer's Moyer Foundation donated a hundred thousand dollars to Annie's Hope, a charity that helps grieving kids.
"Oh, oh it's huge for us!" says Executive Director Becky Byrne. "Annie's Hope is pretty small, so this amount of money is absolutely huge. We couldn't do it without it."
Moyer and his wife started their foundation in 2000, raising money to fund bereavement camps in cities across the country. They are in the midst of a campaign to raise ten million dollars to put a camp in every major league city. The Moyers call the camps "Camp Erin" in honor of an Erin they once knew.
"Upon moving to the northwest, in Seattle, we met a girl as a Make A Wish and she was waiting for an organ," says Moyer. "She got her organ and unfortunately a couple years later was diagnosed with cancer of her spine and unfortunately passed away. She loved young children. We do as well, and one of her last wishes to her family ws to continue to help children."
So Camp Erin was born. And teenagers like Luke Pearl will camp this summer.
"It's freakishly awesome," says Pearl of Moyer. "He's a nice guy."
Luke lost his mother three years ago this summer. He went to camp through Annie's Hope last year, but it was a camp for teens and young children together. Camp Erin in St. Louis will be just for teens.
"Yeah, we support each other 100 percent," says Pearl. "It feels os good to meet new people who've gone through the same thing you have. We sit around in a circle and tell what's happened to us and what we feel like every day. It just feels really good to connect to other people."
Byrne says the difference this will make is immeasurable.
"The ultimate is that they don't feel so alone," she says. "That they understand they have the power within themselves to heal. And they're surrounded by others who get it."
Moyer recruited two Cardinals to help, too. "Joel Pineiro and Ryan Franklin are ex teammates of mine and are involved," he says. "They're gonna be spokespersons for this as well."
By the end of the summer, Moyer will have funded 28 camps, making Camp Erin the largest network of bereavement camps in the country.
"They feel lost and they feel alone," says Moyer. "And we just feel like children shouldn't have to grieve alone."
"Oh, oh it's huge for us!" says Executive Director Becky Byrne. "Annie's Hope is pretty small, so this amount of money is absolutely huge. We couldn't do it without it."
Moyer and his wife started their foundation in 2000, raising money to fund bereavement camps in cities across the country. They are in the midst of a campaign to raise ten million dollars to put a camp in every major league city. The Moyers call the camps "Camp Erin" in honor of an Erin they once knew.
"Upon moving to the northwest, in Seattle, we met a girl as a Make A Wish and she was waiting for an organ," says Moyer. "She got her organ and unfortunately a couple years later was diagnosed with cancer of her spine and unfortunately passed away. She loved young children. We do as well, and one of her last wishes to her family ws to continue to help children."
So Camp Erin was born. And teenagers like Luke Pearl will camp this summer.
"It's freakishly awesome," says Pearl of Moyer. "He's a nice guy."
Luke lost his mother three years ago this summer. He went to camp through Annie's Hope last year, but it was a camp for teens and young children together. Camp Erin in St. Louis will be just for teens.
"Yeah, we support each other 100 percent," says Pearl. "It feels os good to meet new people who've gone through the same thing you have. We sit around in a circle and tell what's happened to us and what we feel like every day. It just feels really good to connect to other people."
Byrne says the difference this will make is immeasurable.
"The ultimate is that they don't feel so alone," she says. "That they understand they have the power within themselves to heal. And they're surrounded by others who get it."
Moyer recruited two Cardinals to help, too. "Joel Pineiro and Ryan Franklin are ex teammates of mine and are involved," he says. "They're gonna be spokespersons for this as well."
By the end of the summer, Moyer will have funded 28 camps, making Camp Erin the largest network of bereavement camps in the country.
"They feel lost and they feel alone," says Moyer. "And we just feel like children shouldn't have to grieve alone."
