Phillies All-Star Shows Heart On and Off the Field

By: Kelly Rouba

In a town like Philadelphia, where fans are known to expect the best from their professional athletes, Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino has risen to the challenge.

A 2008 and 2009 Gold Glove award winner, Victorino’s talent and passion for the game even helped him rack up a record-breaking 15.6 million fan votes, which earned him a spot in this year’s All-Star Game.

Victorino is grateful to have such a dedicated fan base in Philadelphia and is quick to express his gratitude. “I am very fortunate, and I’m very blessed,” he said. “And I always say I thank the fans of Philly for loving me and for embracing me as one of their own…because playing in a place like Philly, that doesn’t happen very often. People are very tough on their athletes.”

While he is not sure exactly why the fans have taken to him, he believes it has to do with the effort he puts into playing each game. “I guess I play the game like I’ve always played since I was a little kid. I enjoy what I do. I have a passion for the game and especially in a place in Philly, where fans, they love that kind of player.”

But perhaps it’s not just his skill at baseball, but his compassion for others that has helped Victorino win over the hearts of many baseball fans. In fact, Lisa Miller, a Phillies fan from Voorhees, New Jersey, was moved to tears when she saw him on the news recently granting a wish to a child associated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

He was spending a day with a fan and that was his wish, to meet (Victorino). They were out on the field playing catch and he was teaching him to play baseball, and then he took him in the locker room for a tour,” Miller recalled. “The young boy was just so in awe of him that at first he couldn’t even speak!”

It was 2004 when Victorino joined the Philadelphia Phillies, and he has remained with the team ever since. Prior to that, Victorino first entered the world of Major League Baseball when he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2003.

“I always felt…if I get into a position where I can be a role model—someone who can give back to the community in a way of bringing people together—I wanted to host a charity event,” Victorino said, adding, “Growing up, I never thought I’d be in the position that I’m at now.”

Never forgetting the promise he made to himself, Victorino partnered with an event coordinator in 2008 to host his first charitable fundraiser in his home state of Hawaii. Although he originally wanted to host an event that would benefit several charities, Victorino said doing so proved difficult because he did not have a charitable foundation in place. Realizing it would be best to focus on one charity, Victorino decided to pick an organization that hit “close to home” and that was the Aloha Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Well, we decided on Alzheimer’s because my grandma had suffered from Alzheimer’s and eventually lost her life to Alzheimer’s. She was very involved with the Alzheimer’s Walk before she had passed away,” Victorino said, noting that his family was even selected as “Family of the Year” in Maui awhile back for their dedication to the cause.

“That’s why I chose Alzheimer’s my first year (hosting a charity event), and we raised right at $100,000.”

Because the fundraiser was such a success, Victorino decided to make it an annual event. “But this year, I did Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation. This year, I wanted to do something for children.”

In spite of the economy and word that as many as five other golf tournaments had been canceled in the area, Victorino’s event went off without a hitch and was still able to raise $120,000. After the event, a number of people asked how he was able to pull it off. “I was like, ‘It’s just hard work, dedication, and having the right people being willing to help.”

Overall, “I think we had another successful event this year, and we’re looking to do a third. But ultimately, I’m looking into setting up my own foundation.”

According to Victorino, his goal is to have the foundation in place by 2010. “That first year, I wanted to do three different charities, and it (was) hard for me to do that,” he said. “Now that I’m going to set up my foundation, I’m going to have the luxury to do that and give to different organizations. And I think for me, I’ve always been that person…I don’t really want to set it up based on one thing. I think a lot of people set up their foundation based on one kind of (charity). I want to be able to help different causes.”

“There is so much that you can do within a foundation that it makes it a little bit easier to donate and spread (the funds) out,” he added.

Aside from being able to select various charities to support based on requests from those who have written to him, Victorino would also like to be able to donate to the charities his teammates are involved with. For instance, Jimmy Rollins supports the Arthritis Foundation, he said. “Ultimately, it’s about giving back any way I can to raise money to help people who are less fortunate.”

And there’s some good news for Phillies fans—Victorino would like to host his next fundraiser in Philadelphia. “One of my ideas is to do a fashion show. (I want to have) athletes walk down the catwalk and do a show with our wives—something different than a golf tournament or a bowling event.”

It’s likely that Victorino will receive the support he needs from his fellow teammates as he often attends their functions. “I love helping causes. I love when our guys host charity events. I go to every one that I can. I try never to miss charity events for one of our other players.”

For now though, Victorino is settling into married life with his wife Melissa—having just returned from his honeymoon—and is keeping busy as a father to his 2 ½ year old daughter and 14 year old stepson.

As for his goals for the future, Victorino said, “I’d want to win another World Series. It was nice to win one, but I’d like to win another one.”

Aside from that, “I just want to be a successful baseball player,” he said. And based on the overwhelming support he receives from his fans—many of whom look up to him as a role model—it seems that he has already achieved success.

“It means a lot to be looked upon as a role model. Unfortunately for me, growing up in Hawaii, I never had the opportunity to look up to a professional athlete…in baseball. You know, there’s not many of us. I’m the second guy from the Island of Maui (to make it to the Majors),” Victorino said. “So to be looked at as a role model now, it means a lot to me, and it makes me feel fortunate and grateful for what I have.”

To make a donation to the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation, please visit www.shanevictorino.com.