Marlins give ‘a little bit of joy’ for pre-K students with games, gifts at Marlins Park
Charles Johnson stood in left field at Marlins Park with a half-dozen pre-K students in front of him on Friday. It was time to play some catch.
Johnson, the Marlins’ catcher during their 1997 World Series run, had caught from some big name pitchers during his 12-year MLB run. He was behind the plate for each of the first three no-hitters in Marlins history (Al Leiter in 1996, Kevin Brown in 1997 and A.J. Burnett in 2001).
But even he wasn’t expecting the heat some of these youngsters were throwing.
“A couple of these young kids have some pretty good arms,” Johnson said through a laugh. “I mean, we need to keep an eye on them.”
It was part of an hour-and-a-half of fun for the close to 30 students who attend the pre-K program at CNC, a not-for-profit organization in Miami. In addition to playing catch on the field at Marlins Park, the kids participated in an arts and crafts activity and receive a toy from Billy the Marlin (who was dressed as Santa Claus) as well as a Marlins swag bag and bat and ball set.
“It’s definitely very exciting,” Johnson said. “I mean we all know it’s been a very difficult year for everybody. Really, I think all of us have been really waiting for this time of the year a little bit for Christmas to get a little bit of joy, a little bit of excitement. To be here with these young kids and share some times with them and for them to get some gifts and get to play on the baseball field a little bit, it’s always a great thing.”
It might also spark a newfound interest in baseball. The Marlins over the past few years have been active in community outreach efforts to expand baseball and softball participation in youth leagues around South Florida.
“You never know with some of these kids what talent they have,” Johnson said. “You never know with them being out here how that can inspire them to want to continue to try to play baseball.”
Friday marked the third consecutive day the Marlins had hosted a community outreach event. They provided meal boxes to more than 500 families at a food distribution on Wednesday and held a toy distribution for first graders at KIPP Sunrise Academy on Thursday.
The Marlins will also host a gift basket drive thru distribution at the Humana Lot to the east of Marlins Park at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
“It’s a blessing, honestly,” Diaz said. “I think it’s very important to see stuff like this and really take the time and just the effort that we take to come out here and see these kids’ smiles. It’s important for them. It’s just something that they always remember and us as well. It’s a very powerful and very warming just to have this opportunity to come out here.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 12:42 PM.
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