Paula
02-08-2006, 12:38 AM
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060207&content_id=1308052&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnered=rss_mlb
Giambi unveils hospital's kids' center
Yankees star helps establish therapy, play environment
By Bryan Hoch / Special to MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Jason Giambi may never shake his West Coast pedigree, but heading into his fifth season with the Yankees, the slugger says he considers himself a New Yorker.
A week before the first Yankees begin reporting to Florida, Giambi was back in town Tuesday to help unveil The Zone, a state-of-the-art therapy and play environment in the Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Joined by country music superstar Garth Brooks and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, Giambi watched as the red ribbon was cut, officially opening the multimillion dollar facility to an eager group of children.
"New York is home to me now," Giambi said. "[I wanted] to get a chance to walk through that room and see the kids get a chance to get away from the doctors, play and be with their families in an environment where they have fun."
Giambi is a major donor to the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, which combined efforts with the Troy Aikman Foundation and the Starlight, Starbright Children's Foundation to complete the new facility.
A large area with a family resource center, an in-house television studio, a stage for live performances, craft and game rooms and more, The Zone promises a quiet, relaxing atmosphere for children with a view of Central Park.
The facility, the fourth in the United States and the first east of the Mississippi River, also offers an ultra-modern theatre, which patients will use for movie nights and virtual field trips to destinations like SeaWorld and the Bronx Zoo.
"There was one kid telling me he was going through all his medications and he couldn't wait to go down and play video games," Giambi said. "It definitely gives them something to look forward to."
Brooks, who celebrated his 44th birthday Tuesday, started the Teammates for Kids Foundation with Bo Mitchell in 1999 as a non-profit corporation to benefit children, with an emphasis on health, education and inner-city services.
An official charity of the National Hockey League that also works with MLB and NFL players, the foundation uses 100 percent of its proceeds for projects like The Zone.
During the press conference, Aikman revealed that Brooks had put up a "significant" portion of his own money to finish the project. Giambi said that Brooks' dedication made committing to the project an easy decision.
"It's real easy to go, 'Here, just give me a check,'" Giambi said. "But [Brooks] really makes us feel, as athletes, that we are a part of everything."
Like most athletes, Giambi prefers not to publicly discuss his charitable endeavors. But Oakland Athletics coach Ron Washington, who lost his New Orleans home in Hurricane Katrina, said he cried recently when Giambi delivered an unsolicited check for $20,000.
Brooks said the entire Giambi family, including brother Jeremy and his parents, have been extremely charitable.
"They give tons and tons of money, but you never know which boy it's coming from," Brooks said. "They're never going to speak up and say it."
The winners in the equation, of course, are the children. As evidenced by their smiles and laughter Tuesday, the facility promises to be worth every penny.
"It takes people with real vision to take their resources and make this possible," said Kenneth L. Davis, Mount Sinai's president and CEO.
Each year, Giambi said Brooks' foundation gathers for an annual appreciation party in Las Vegas, welcoming some of the children who benefit on a daily basis from donors' generosity. Giambi said he is already looking forward to the next event.
"There's nothing more special than seeing excitement on a child's face," Giambi said.
I believe someone said wireimage had some pictures of the event.
Paula
Giambi unveils hospital's kids' center
Yankees star helps establish therapy, play environment
By Bryan Hoch / Special to MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Jason Giambi may never shake his West Coast pedigree, but heading into his fifth season with the Yankees, the slugger says he considers himself a New Yorker.
A week before the first Yankees begin reporting to Florida, Giambi was back in town Tuesday to help unveil The Zone, a state-of-the-art therapy and play environment in the Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Joined by country music superstar Garth Brooks and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, Giambi watched as the red ribbon was cut, officially opening the multimillion dollar facility to an eager group of children.
"New York is home to me now," Giambi said. "[I wanted] to get a chance to walk through that room and see the kids get a chance to get away from the doctors, play and be with their families in an environment where they have fun."
Giambi is a major donor to the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, which combined efforts with the Troy Aikman Foundation and the Starlight, Starbright Children's Foundation to complete the new facility.
A large area with a family resource center, an in-house television studio, a stage for live performances, craft and game rooms and more, The Zone promises a quiet, relaxing atmosphere for children with a view of Central Park.
The facility, the fourth in the United States and the first east of the Mississippi River, also offers an ultra-modern theatre, which patients will use for movie nights and virtual field trips to destinations like SeaWorld and the Bronx Zoo.
"There was one kid telling me he was going through all his medications and he couldn't wait to go down and play video games," Giambi said. "It definitely gives them something to look forward to."
Brooks, who celebrated his 44th birthday Tuesday, started the Teammates for Kids Foundation with Bo Mitchell in 1999 as a non-profit corporation to benefit children, with an emphasis on health, education and inner-city services.
An official charity of the National Hockey League that also works with MLB and NFL players, the foundation uses 100 percent of its proceeds for projects like The Zone.
During the press conference, Aikman revealed that Brooks had put up a "significant" portion of his own money to finish the project. Giambi said that Brooks' dedication made committing to the project an easy decision.
"It's real easy to go, 'Here, just give me a check,'" Giambi said. "But [Brooks] really makes us feel, as athletes, that we are a part of everything."
Like most athletes, Giambi prefers not to publicly discuss his charitable endeavors. But Oakland Athletics coach Ron Washington, who lost his New Orleans home in Hurricane Katrina, said he cried recently when Giambi delivered an unsolicited check for $20,000.
Brooks said the entire Giambi family, including brother Jeremy and his parents, have been extremely charitable.
"They give tons and tons of money, but you never know which boy it's coming from," Brooks said. "They're never going to speak up and say it."
The winners in the equation, of course, are the children. As evidenced by their smiles and laughter Tuesday, the facility promises to be worth every penny.
"It takes people with real vision to take their resources and make this possible," said Kenneth L. Davis, Mount Sinai's president and CEO.
Each year, Giambi said Brooks' foundation gathers for an annual appreciation party in Las Vegas, welcoming some of the children who benefit on a daily basis from donors' generosity. Giambi said he is already looking forward to the next event.
"There's nothing more special than seeing excitement on a child's face," Giambi said.
I believe someone said wireimage had some pictures of the event.
Paula