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| Graig Nettles (far left), Darryl Strawberry (c.) and Mickey Rivers (r.) with the volunteer staff. |
New York baseball legends Dwight Gooden, Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers, and Darryl Strawberry were all on hand this Saturday to help benefit the Jason Krause Kick
Cancer Scholarship Fund at Kennelly’s Grille House in Congers, N.Y. The
benefit, which is now in its third year, had a record turnout this
weekend, due in part to the generosity of the aforementioned superstars.
The fund was launched in memory of Krause, who was a star soccer player at Clarkstown North High School who succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 33 in 2008. The grassroots support was overwhelming, with close to 300 people turning out in the small town of 8,500. A tremendous array of prizes was raffled off for supporters including a trip to the, "Big Game in New Orleans in February" and a complete run of playoff tickets for the New York Yankees. All proceeds went to fund a soccer scholarship for a Clarkstown North soccer player in Krause’s honor, as well as the “Jason K: A Matter of Hope Fund” at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
The baseball legends spiced up the event, fortuitously signing autographs and taking photos with a seemingly never ending line of requests. Strawberry, a cancer survivor himself, was more than proud to oblige.
“Any event where I can give back, and raise awareness, I’m glad to do it,” Strawberry said.
Gooden, a hero for both the Mets and Yankees, relished the memory of another brain cancer victim, his former battery mate, Gary Carter.
“My best memory of Gary Carter was in the 1984 All-Star Game,” Gooden said. “I struck out three batters in a row, and on our way back to the dugout he said, ‘Wouldn’t this be nice to do every fifth day?’ Little did I know that he would be with us next year.”
For more information on the Jason Krause Kick Cancer Scholarship Fund, visit - http://www.facebook.com/JasonKrauseKickCancerScholarship