Former Phillie Mike Schmidt emphasizes the importance of sun safety to Doylestown Little Leaguers
After being diagnosed with melanoma in 2013, it’s been Schmidt’s goal to raise awareness for skin cancer. That mission continued at Turk Park in Warrington on Tuesday.
Standing in the outfield of Turk Park’s baseball field in Warrington, Phillies legend and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt was surrounded by several Little League players who were wearing uniforms ranging from Pittsburgh Pirates gear to Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.
When the 12-time All-Star asked if the kids had questions, a number of hands shot into the air, including one that belonged to 9-year-old Phillies season-ticket holder John Germin. The youngster who his friends claimed to be a “baseball nerd” asked: “Who was your favorite teammate when you were playing?”
When Schmidt responded with “Pete Rose,” Germin celebrated to Schmidt’s surprise.
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“Thank you,” Germin said. “I love Pete Rose. 4,256 hits. I love Pete Rose.”
Before the Q&A, the three-time National League MVP discussed the importance of sun safety, joining Dermatology Partners and the Richard David Kann (RDK) Melanoma Foundation for their “Play Sun Safe” event with the Doylestown Athletic Association.
After being diagnosed with melanoma in 2013, it’s been Schmidt’s goal to raise awareness for skin cancer. That mission continued on Tuesday.
“Our mission here in Philadelphia is to stop skin cancer,” Schmidt said. “The one way to do that is start with the kids at a young age. For them to develop the right habits to skin care and one for sure is sunscreen. One is covering your body when you’re in the sun, trying to limit the time you spend in the sun.
“For me, I’m on a journey right now still from 2013. It started with melanoma and I’m still tending to it on a daily basis. I don’t want any of these kids to have to do that.”
The initiative delivers sun safety education, free sunscreen access, and on-site engagement to youth baseball and softball organizations. The Doylestown Athletic Association baseball and softball program, which serves 300 children from pre-K to eighth grade, is one of the first organizations to receive ongoing support through the partnership.
“[This partnership] is great for the community, it’s great for DAA baseball,” said Fred Greco, the managing director of DAA. “Just to have Mike Schmidt, the best baseball third baseman, Hall of Famer, of all time, here in our community is just a great thing for the program.”
They are also partnering with other Pennsylvania organizations, including Ridley Area Little League, and Ridley High School Athletics, providing sunscreen dispensers and ongoing refills.
The event featured a special presentation by Schmidt, who is dedicated to providing a sun safe future to the next generation of players and fans. There was also a raffle for a signed Schmidt jersey and baseball with all proceeds supporting the RDK Melanoma Foundation and the Mike Schmidt Foundation.
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“Baseball brings communities together like few other things can,” Andrew Kay, the executive vice president of growth at Dermatology Partners, said in a press release. “By teaming up with the RDK Melanoma Foundation and Mike Schmidt, we’re meeting fans where they are — on the field and in the stands — to make sun safety part of the game-day routine.”
Schmidt joined the board of directors for RDK Melanoma shortly after his diagnosis. Since joining the organization, he has taken a more hands-on approach with the West Palm Beach, Fla.-based company.
“My life was spared,” Schmidt said. “I got to move on, got a major increased appreciation for life and love and the people around me. It could have gone totally the opposite direction. Melanoma is a very, very serious disease. And 30 years ago people died from it. Now, if you catch it early, you know, you can be cured. And we just don’t want people to get melanoma or skin cancer.”
To raise awareness for the disease, the “Play Sun Safe” initiative, spearheaded by Schmidt, hosted its first event on April 17 at Ridley Park. The campaign also partners with minor-league teams, including the Reading Fightin’ Phils and the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
