Anyone that knows me sees today's charity - The Brewers Community Foundation - as no surprise. That's because they have come to know that the Milwaukee Brewers and Scott "Iceman" Reck have become synonymous with each other. I've been working at Miller Park for SportService for the last 10 years and I love my job. I'm a big Brewers fan and am very appreciative of what they are doing to give back to the community. After all, it is the community that supports the team and has helped to build the ballpark that they play in. The community pays the player's salaries and wears the merchandise. The community is the only reason why the team is still here. Without fan support, the team would have left town years ago. Thankfully they are still here. I wouldn't know what I would do without being able to support my local sports team. As well as being a source of income that I depend on to buy alcohol and take vacations, it is my livelihood for the months of March - October. I was only 13 in 1994 when Major League Baseball went on strike and had better things to do than be sad that there was no professional baseball being played. I was probably at the local park playing baseball myself. But the Brewers Community Foundation goes behind Major League Baseball. They make more of a difference than a bunch of millionaires playing a child's game ever will.
Before you lambaste me for criticizing the players for making all of that money I'll have you know that I was just making a point that helping out others and giving back to the community is more important than baseball. Which is why a lot if not all of the players on the team assist the Brewers Community Foundation in various ways including donating their time, money, personal artifacts and all sorts of other things to help connect the team with the fans. There are plenty of charities in the community who benefit from the BCF because they receive money from them. The BCF has the benefit of having a high profile image and revenue generator in the Milwaukee Brewers. Things like the 50/50 raffle at every Brewers Home game and events like the 5K Sausage Run/Walk are huge generators for money which will go to various charities around Wisconsin like the Hunger Task Force, the YMCA, The Boys and Girls Club, American Heart Association, Susan G. Komen for a Cure (Breast Cancer Research), The Ronald McDonald House and Children's Hospital to name a few. There are countless others so a donation to the Brewers Community Fund is like donating to 100 charities at once. And the beauty of it is that they are all local charities or local branches of National charities. That means they are helping your neighbors. Or the children in the poorest sections of town that need help the most. They are helping people that you go to school or work with. They are helping the future leaders of your city. And they may one day even help you if you fall into a position of need. That is how community works. We all support each other. And thanks to the Brewers players, front office, fans and everyone associated in any way with the team, we are supporting our community.
The community isn't just a place. It defines you. It is a system of interconnected people all helping each other to achieve a common goal. One one struggles someone helps them out. And when someone needs help there has to be a support system in place or else that person will never get out of their situation. And the best part about the Brewers Community Foundation? It's easy to contribute to. The easiest way is through the 50/50 Raffle which is available at every home game. For just $2 a ticket you have the chance of winning half of all the money collected, which can reach into the 10s of thousands thanks to the nearly sold out crowds at every Brewers game. And there will be a winner at every game. I don't know how you spend your money, but $2 seems like a pretty good investment to win a couple thousand. And if you don't win then your money is going to a good cause like building youth softball fields, educating children and keeping them off the streets, supplying scholarships to underprivileged youths and giving them game tickets so they can see a Brewers game. How cool is that? It probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but to someone who has nothing just being able to do something cool like that is an uplifting experience. We all have troubles and hardships, but I promise that if you are reading this then you don't have it as bad as the people who depend on the BCF for survival. Because you have internet and most likely a nice comfortable place to sit down and use it. So rejoice in what you have. And give to people who don't have it. Especially if you have the means to do it.
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
pookondotcom@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeIceman
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