“The Week of Hope” events continue at Yankee Stadium. Yesterday, the Bombers highlighted the life-changing work of Experience Camps, a national program, at no cost to participants, which is designed to offer comfort and support to children who have experienced the profound loss of a loved one.
Experience Camps, with its executive director Sara Deren, use different methods than traditional ones to deal with grief, integrating the healing power of summer camps, along with other innovative initiatives throughout the year, thus giving them safe spaces to process. their emotions, surrounded by peers who have lived similar experiences, also creating a connection between these young people.
This program uses social networks to connect almost 70% of these young people, helping in the healing process beyond the summer months, providing comfort and guidance on an ongoing basis.
During Yankees Week of Hope, the team’s players and coaching staff were actively involved in a series of significant events. On an unforgettable afternoon at Dave & Buster’s in Pelham Manor, Experience Camps kids shared games and meals with players like Clay Holmes, Jose Trevino, Victor Gonzalez, Tommy Kahnle, Ian Hamilton, Ron Marinaccion and more, along with several members of the coaching staff. The most emotional moment was a conversation circle where both campers and players shared their personal stories of losing loved ones.
I was able to talk with Victor Gonzalez, a Yankees reliever, during the event. The Mexican pitcher was very impressed and even motivated to be able to help more people with his platform:
“The truth is that it is very nice to be able to help other people” said Victor Gonzalez in this interview that I could do. “The truth is that at some point I would like to do this and I hope to God I can help many people. It is something that I have always had in my mind because where I am from there are few resources and many people need people’s support. This has been a learning experience for me and it is not that one wants to do it because it looks good, but one does it from the heart. I hope, first of all, God allows me to help many people.”
After sharing games with the players, the boys arrived at Yankee Stadium, where they were honored during batting practice, in a pre-game ceremony.
Experience Camps received the prestigious President’s Volunteer Lifetime Service Award from AmeriCorps, a recognition that underscores its profound impact and tireless dedication to community service. This recognition was presented by Michael Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps, highlighting the national impact of Experience Camps and its commitment to the well-being of youth.
In addition to the recognition, the New York Yankees Foundation demonstrated its commitment with a generous $10,000 donation to Experience Camps, presented by notable members such as Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal and other foundation representatives.
