MORE THAN JUST ALL-STAR ATHLETES!

Recently, we had the privilege of attending a benefit dinner called, “Dancing with the All Stars” at Joe Louis Arena. The dinner was a fundraiser benefiting Jack’s Place for Autism, which was started by Jim and Lisa Price. Jim is the color commentator for the Detroit Tigers Radio Network. Their son, Jack, has autism. Jack’s place was started to help families affected by autism to provide resources, training and long-term plans for residential living. We heard many of the Detroit Tiger players were going to be attending the event, with some of them participating in the dance. Two weeks earlier we had been invited down onto the field at Comerica Park to meet with Ana Sanchez, wife of pitcher Anibel Sanchez, and Erica May, fiancé of pitcher Max Scherzer. My wife, Becky, shared with them how Jack’s Place had impacted our family, the dream Jim and Lisa Price have for Jack’s Place and how their dream gives us hope for our children when our time is done. I never know what to expect when I meet celebrities. On the one hand, they become celebrities by doing something many believe to be extraordinary. On the other hand, they are people who get up in the morning, go to work, sleep and eat like everybody else does. I typically do not like to approach celebrities. Too often they have swarms of people wanting to touch them, get an autograph or picture taken when they just want to go buy a couple groceries or get to where they are going. However, this day was different. They were here for a reason. This reason was very close to my heart. We first ran into outfielder Torii Hunter. Torii was very approachable by everyone. He is a natural with people. I introduced myself, Becky and my daughter, Hannah to him and thanked him for supporting autism. I shared how both our children have autism and how thankful we were for his support. He shared that his godson has autism and it is very close to his heart as well. When talking with Jim Price, he told us, “All the players are here because they want to be here. They did not get free tickets. They paid like everybody else.” There were many other players we had the privilege of meeting. I said to Prince Fielder, “Mr. Fielder, my name is Jon and this is my daughter Hannah. She has autism and so does my son. Thank you for supporting Jack’s Place!” Prince, a little quieter than Torii, smiled shook my hand and said, “Your welcome! It’s nice to meet you!” We sat at the table that included the parents of Shannon Hogan of Fox Sports Detroit. Upon meeting Shannon, she took an interest in Hannah. While talking, Mr. Hogan said, “Hannah, is there any Tiger you would like to meet?” A little stunned, she said, “Uhhhh…!” Becky rephrased the question by asking, “Hannah, who’s your Tiger?” She said, “Miguel Cabrera!” Shannon asked her if she would like to meet him. She said, “Yes! Can my dad come too?” Shannon escorted us to where the Tigers were dining. We first met Ramon Santiago. Ramon is a close friend of Detroit Tiger Chaplain, Jeff Totten, who is also one of the teaching pastors at our church. Because of this, I had an interest in meeting Ramon. Like Torii, who also knows Jeff Totten, he was very warm and kind-hearted. We thanked him for his support for Jack’s Place for Autism. Then we met Miguel Cabrera. Just like on TV, he had a glowing smile. He reached his hand out to shake mine and very willingly agreed to have his picture taken with Hannah. I thanked him for his support for Autism and Jack’s Place. The program was outstanding. The video they showed was tear-jerking. We heard testimonies of families sharing their concern for their children. There was a strong emphasis on what will happen to our children when we pass away. Who will care for them? Jim Price shared from his heart and had difficulty controlling his emotions while talking about his son, Jack. The dance competition was very entertaining. Torii Hunter was one of the emcees and his personality fit the role like a glove. After the competition, Hannah wanted to see Ana Sanchez and Erica May, who participated in the dance competition. Upon finding Erica, she yelled her name, ran up and embraced her. We chatted for a few minutes, until her fiancé, Max Scherzer approached us. Hannah said to Max, who is in the running for the American League Cy Young Award, “Are you Erica’s fiancé?” It made her day. We thanked both of them for their support for Jack’s Place. Hannah then found Ana. She asked if she remembered her. Ana said, “Of Course I remember you!” Then she turned to me and said, “Where are your son and your wife?” I explained that this would have been too much for Jacob and pointed out where Becky was. She introduced us to Anibel and explained to him that we were the family she had met a couple weeks ago. She immediately went to where Becky was and greeted her enthusiastically. At one point, just before we left, I saw Tiger General Manager, Dave Dombrowski. During the program, Jim Price made a point to mention that it took Dave only two days after moving to Detroit to be a supporter for Jack’s Place. I approached him, introduced myself, told him about my family and thanked him for his support. He said, “We really feel for your family! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” I reassured him it is an honor to have children with autism, but it does have challenges. I was a Detroit Tiger fan long before I attended the “Dancing with the All Stars” event. Afterward, I became a fan of the Tiger players, families and staff. They were more than just All Stars and Champions. They are people who care. I must rephrase this. They are a family who cares about all people. They understand that life is more about winning championships and becoming all-stars. They believe in making life better for families affected by autism. They are passionate for helping people with autism have opportunities they normally would not otherwise have. I would love to see the Tiger’s bring home their first World Series banner in almost 30 years. It would energize the city and bring excitement. Regardless of what happens this October, these Detroit Tigers are already champions in ways many will never know and in a way that goes beyond what anyone will ever understand! As the old saying goes from 1984, “Bless you Boys!”