Philadelphia Philles pitcher Moyer making a difference off the field, too
1 day ago
PHILADELPHIA — Ask Jamie Moyer about Camp Erin and he loses it.
He gets teary and chokes up while talking about the bereavement camps he helped start for children who have lost loved ones.
Then listen to the kids themselves. It's easy to understand why the Philadelphia Phillies pitcher becomes so emotional.
Matthew Leist and his younger sister, Tristana, are among the thousands who have been helped by the network of 18 camps around the U.S. set up by Moyer and his wife, Karen.
On July 4, 2003, the Leists lost their mother, Victoria, to cancer.
"After my mom died, I kind of went into a blank mode. Nothing else really mattered anymore," said Matthew, who was 9 at the time. "When I went to Camp Erin and I got a chance to meet other kids who can relate, it was amazing. It's like I was in this darkness and Camp Erin lit everything up."
Matthew, who lives near Seattle, celebrates his 15th birthday Saturday - the same night the 45-year-old Moyer was set to make his long-awaited debut in the World Series, starting against Tampa Bay in Game 3.
Leist knew exactly what to wish for.
"The Moyers have helped us out so much and they're such nice people that the best present for me would be for him to win that game and have him and his family celebrate," Matthew said.
Tristana called the experience at Camp Erin "practically indescribable."
"It opened my eyes and let me know I'm not the only person who lost a loved one," the 11-year-old said.
The camps were named for Erin Metcalf, a teenager the Moyers met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1998 while Jamie played for the Seattle Mariners.
They spent a lot of time with the 15-year-old girl who had developed liver cancer before she died in 2000. Two years later, the first Camp Erin in 2002 in Washington state.
"Erin loved to help other kids," Karen Moyer said. "She's a special, special teenager who lost her life.
"We wanted to honour her memory. It's really empowering for the children to be around others who have gone through the same experience. Something magical always seems to happen at the camps and we truly feel Erin's presence in every camp."
Children and teens participate in traditional camp activities, meet with grief counsellors and interact with peers experiencing similar sorrow at the weekend gatherings.
Matthew recalled canoeing and rock climbing, but one particular art activity stood out most. The children made stars out of Styrofoam to represent their loved one. They took the stars out to a lake, lit them and sat there reflecting on their loss.
"Of all the stars, mine and Tristana's were the only ones that stuck together," Matthew said. "We felt like that was our mom reaching out and touching us. It made us feel better."
Moyer spoke to waves of reporters for more than 20 minutes before the Phillies played the Rays in Game 2, answering questions mostly dealing with baseball.
Unflappable on the mound, he got a little wobbly talking about his first trip to the Series, and how much it meant to make it with the team he grew up rooting for in nearby Souderton, Pa.
Still, it was nothing like how he gets when the subject is Camp Erin.
"When you see the impact it can make on kids who haven't asked for what has happened in their life, knowing there is a support group out there that can help educate them and let them know that life will go on and they can remember their loved one in a positive way, it really makes it all worthwhile," Moyer said.
Camp Erin is the largest network of bereavement camps in the U.S. for children.
There are in 12 states and a camp opened in Philadelphia last year and another started up in Tampa Bay this summer. The Moyers hope to eventually have one in each major league city and plan to expand to 12 new cities in 2009.
"Jamie has had a long journey in baseball and he's committed to every community he played in," Karen Moyer said. "Camp Erin means a lot to the both of us.
"There are so many children that grieve the loss of a loved one. It's a huge issue and it needs to be addressed."
Moyer won baseball's Roberto Clemente Award in 2003 that honours excellence on the field. He turns 46 next month and would become the oldest pitcher to win a post-season game if he beats Tampa Bay.
"This is a great game and a great opportunity, but win or lose, life goes on," Moyer said. "When children have to deal with losing a loved one and they don't know where to go and how to handle it, it's proven that if they don't get the right guidance, they fall between the cracks.
"So, in our small way, helping to turn this into something big, we're trying to prevent kids from falling between those cracks and helping them grow and learn and maybe as they grow up, they'll help someone else."
1 day ago
PHILADELPHIA — Ask Jamie Moyer about Camp Erin and he loses it.
He gets teary and chokes up while talking about the bereavement camps he helped start for children who have lost loved ones.
Then listen to the kids themselves. It's easy to understand why the Philadelphia Phillies pitcher becomes so emotional.
Matthew Leist and his younger sister, Tristana, are among the thousands who have been helped by the network of 18 camps around the U.S. set up by Moyer and his wife, Karen.
On July 4, 2003, the Leists lost their mother, Victoria, to cancer.
"After my mom died, I kind of went into a blank mode. Nothing else really mattered anymore," said Matthew, who was 9 at the time. "When I went to Camp Erin and I got a chance to meet other kids who can relate, it was amazing. It's like I was in this darkness and Camp Erin lit everything up."
Matthew, who lives near Seattle, celebrates his 15th birthday Saturday - the same night the 45-year-old Moyer was set to make his long-awaited debut in the World Series, starting against Tampa Bay in Game 3.
Leist knew exactly what to wish for.
"The Moyers have helped us out so much and they're such nice people that the best present for me would be for him to win that game and have him and his family celebrate," Matthew said.
Tristana called the experience at Camp Erin "practically indescribable."
"It opened my eyes and let me know I'm not the only person who lost a loved one," the 11-year-old said.
The camps were named for Erin Metcalf, a teenager the Moyers met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1998 while Jamie played for the Seattle Mariners.
They spent a lot of time with the 15-year-old girl who had developed liver cancer before she died in 2000. Two years later, the first Camp Erin in 2002 in Washington state.
"Erin loved to help other kids," Karen Moyer said. "She's a special, special teenager who lost her life.
"We wanted to honour her memory. It's really empowering for the children to be around others who have gone through the same experience. Something magical always seems to happen at the camps and we truly feel Erin's presence in every camp."
Children and teens participate in traditional camp activities, meet with grief counsellors and interact with peers experiencing similar sorrow at the weekend gatherings.
Matthew recalled canoeing and rock climbing, but one particular art activity stood out most. The children made stars out of Styrofoam to represent their loved one. They took the stars out to a lake, lit them and sat there reflecting on their loss.
"Of all the stars, mine and Tristana's were the only ones that stuck together," Matthew said. "We felt like that was our mom reaching out and touching us. It made us feel better."
Moyer spoke to waves of reporters for more than 20 minutes before the Phillies played the Rays in Game 2, answering questions mostly dealing with baseball.
Unflappable on the mound, he got a little wobbly talking about his first trip to the Series, and how much it meant to make it with the team he grew up rooting for in nearby Souderton, Pa.
Still, it was nothing like how he gets when the subject is Camp Erin.
"When you see the impact it can make on kids who haven't asked for what has happened in their life, knowing there is a support group out there that can help educate them and let them know that life will go on and they can remember their loved one in a positive way, it really makes it all worthwhile," Moyer said.
Camp Erin is the largest network of bereavement camps in the U.S. for children.
There are in 12 states and a camp opened in Philadelphia last year and another started up in Tampa Bay this summer. The Moyers hope to eventually have one in each major league city and plan to expand to 12 new cities in 2009.
"Jamie has had a long journey in baseball and he's committed to every community he played in," Karen Moyer said. "Camp Erin means a lot to the both of us.
"There are so many children that grieve the loss of a loved one. It's a huge issue and it needs to be addressed."
Moyer won baseball's Roberto Clemente Award in 2003 that honours excellence on the field. He turns 46 next month and would become the oldest pitcher to win a post-season game if he beats Tampa Bay.
"This is a great game and a great opportunity, but win or lose, life goes on," Moyer said. "When children have to deal with losing a loved one and they don't know where to go and how to handle it, it's proven that if they don't get the right guidance, they fall between the cracks.
"So, in our small way, helping to turn this into something big, we're trying to prevent kids from falling between those cracks and helping them grow and learn and maybe as they grow up, they'll help someone else."
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