Sara’s Diary: Day 12 without baseball

I cannot stop thinking about Mr. Rogers these days. Weird, right? I’m a grown lady writing about an unprecedented suspension of baseball during a weeks-long stay at home order, and I keep thinking about the man who hosted a kids show on PBS when I was growing up. Specifically, this interview:

I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for the helpers as I write this diary. The rays of hope that can guide all of us through this time. Well, sometimes the universe collides in weird ways so today I want to highlight one of the helpers in Chicago: Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

Josh Timmers wrote about Rizzo’s generosity to the community here in 2017. The 2017 Roberto Clemente Award Winner was recognized for his work with pediatric cancer patients in the Chicago area. The Rizzo Family Foundation hosts multiple fundraisers a year and it’s well-known that Rizzo spends a lot of his off days visiting cancer patients in and around Chicago.

Anthony Rizzo is a helper, and as a new threat rises with COVID-19 he is stepping up for the hospital staff on the frontlines of this fight.

ABC7 Chicago reported last night that Rizzo is working with local restaurants to deliver nearly 700 hot meals to nurses and doctors at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Florida.

It started with a tweet from the Cubs captain and he’s kept it going:

Anthony Rizzo has given Cubs fans a lot of moments of hope on the baseball field. He’s given a lot of moments of hope to young cancer patients battling a cruel disease that he understands all too well. Now he’s stepped up to give a bit of hope to the nurses and doctors who are working tirelessly to keep our communities safe.

Always look for the helpers, because if you look for the helpers, then you’ll know there is hope.