Successes | Making a Major (League) Difference

Unforgettable. It's been the title of a film, a novel, multiple albums and of course a beloved song and, on one Friday last August, it also became the absolute best way to describe a night at Dodger Stadium for 25 area children.

The special evening was under the auspices of the MLB Player's Trust's Buses for Baseball, which partners with local transit authorities and charitable organizations-in this case, the Summa Children's Foundation-to give underprivileged children the chance to experience Major League Baseball in a way typically enjoyed only by the privileged few. The young people were from Los Angeles-based CoachArt, which provides arts and athletics program for children and teens with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

SCF Founder Brian Werdesheim was on hand as the children were escorted onto the field for batting practice, watched themselves featured on the jumbo screen and posed for pictures with players. "[Left-fielder] Luis Gonzales was amazing," says Werdesheim. "He really paid attention to the kids and asked them lots of questions. We were also grateful to Derek Lowe, Mark Sweeney and Juan Pierre, who did yeoman work signing and posing, too."

Befitting their VIP status, the children had special third-level seats that provided a terrific view of the game, which the Dodgers obligingly won, beating the Rockies 6-4. Ample quantities of soda and Dodger dogs were consumed by all, and when the last batter was out, the young fans left the ballpark with an enviable collection of autographed shirts and hats... and an eveningful of memories.

Founder Jim Miles was first introduced to Buses for Baseball by long-time friend and former major leaguer Bobby Bonilla, now with the MLB Player's Association, and Summa's relationship as a funding partner dates back more than two years, when a 2005 event at Morton's Steakhouse raised funds for Buses for Baseball and other Player's Trust-sponsored children's programs. "Both the Summa Children's Foundation and the Player's Trust share a deep commitment to improving the lives of children in our local communities," says Miles.

Which, of course, happens one life at a time. Forever etched in Werdesheim's memory is the image of one young girl at the August 17 outing. "She was there with her brother-CoachArt makes it a point to include siblings in their programs-and she was wearing a hat to cover thinning hair from chemotherapy," he says. "But it sure didn't cover her smile."

Unforgettable.