When Hall of Fame baseball manager Sparky Anderson passed away recently at the age of 76, he left behind a long legacy of on-the-field accomplishments, including becoming the first person to win a World Series championship with teams from both leagues: Anderson took the National League’s Cincinnati Reds to back-to-back titles in 1975 and 1976, then won it all with the 1984 Detroit Tigers from the American League.
But Anderson also knew how to keep those achievements in perspective. In 1987, remarking how “There’s nothing in this word that you will ever do that’s better than helping a child,” he founded CATCH, a Detroit-area charity dedicated to helping improve the quality of life for pediatric patients at two local health centers: Children’s Hospital and the Henry Ford Hospital. Since that time, CATCH has helped fund such items and services as wheelchair ramps and lifts, interpreters and home-based therapy equipment, and educational assistance for children who have had to undergo prolonged hospitalizations.
With this in mind, Chevrolet has now stepped up to the plate and donated $10,000 to the charity, with Kevin Mayer, Chevy’s advertising manager, saying “We wanted to pay tribute to Sparky Anderson, who left an indelible mark on Chevrolet’s home town, contributing to one of the greatest years in Detroit Tigers history and helping thousands of Detroit kids in need.”
“This is an amazing gift in honor of a truly amazing man,” added Jim Hughes, CATCH executive director. “We’re extremely grateful to Chevrolet, not only for honoring the life of our charismatic leader with this generous donation, but also for recognizing that CATCH will remain a viable and impactful charity in Detroit for many years to come.”
For more information about CATCH, please visit www.catchcharity.org.
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