Baseball Players Embrace Opportunity to Give Back

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 20, 2009) – Last week members of the Occidental College baseball team travelled to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles to participate in a community service project. All 24 members of the 2009 Tigers squad spent a few hours in the afternoon visiting with patients ranging in age from two to teen.

One group of student-athletes spent time in the outpatient wing doing arts and crafts projects with children in the waiting area while others spent time upstairs with children in the infectious diseases and pulmonary disorders unit. Team members played board games and Wii, among other games, with teens who are in the hospital long term.

Many of the players went from room-to-room to visit kids of all ages who were not able to leave their rooms. Tigers visited roughly 30 different rooms, handing out autographed baseballs.

Today was a day for the baseball players and coaches to give back to the local community. This project was an eye opening experience for many of the student-athletes who realize how lucky they are. It was definitely a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

Occidental will open season play on Jan. 30 when they host La Sierra University at 2:30 p.m. on Anderson Field.