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Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/422226
photography by kenny kim photography (boy with bat; wood with kids); Collin pierson photography (high five) "My wife and i started doing charity work at the hospital visiting kids when we were dating. When I came back for my second run with the Cubs, we knew we were going to stay in Chicago after I was done play- ing, and that's when we realized it was time to launch a foundation and do something more permanent. Having our own kids, seeing kids in the hospital, doing baseball clinics, we realized it was going to [focus on helping] the children of Chicago. I started the Wood Family Foundation before I retired [in 2012], but I real- ized that the 30 minutes I was able to give could be monumental for people. And not because it's 'me'—a lot of the kids don't know that I play baseball and what I've done, which is even better. It's more rewarding that [I'm] just a familiar face. Having these kids run up and give you a high five or hug and say, 'Good to see you!' [is] what it's all about. It's made me a better person. "[Woody's Winter Warm-Up] is really about tim- ing: Everyone's excited for the Cubs season to start right around the corner—everyone's in town for the Cubs convention, so I get players out—and it's a good time, [with] a musical act and great auction items. We get all the players and celebrities behind the bar and compete for tips, so it's fun. Last year, we raised over [$100,000] to help the foundation get programs off the ground. I love having the event at Harry's, and the more we can talk about the foundation, the more peo- ple we have to volunteer and help. "Today is the opening day of our mentor program at Lawndale Elementary Community Academy, [which has] been more than a year in the making. We have 20 fourth graders; they have given the foundation two rooms. The school did not have a library, so we got a library built and put books in it, and the other room they've allocated for us is now a resource room, where we have desktops and tablets. We've put together a cur- riculum and activities we'll be doing every Tuesday throughout the school year. The last Tuesday of every "We all see the neWs, but It's not as bad as the neWs makes It: there's a good sense of communIty In these neIghborhoods." —kerry wood continued on page 78 Pitching in With the Wood Family Foundation's annual Woody's Winter Warm-up event, Former ChiCago Cubs star pitCher erry Wood steps up to the plate to better the lives oF the City's Children. as told to meg mathis After retiring from the Cubs, Wood is committed to helping kids throughout Chicago. Kerry Wood coaches a student during Woody's Back to School BBQ Bonanza. right: Wood welcomes Lawndale Elementary Community Academy students for the Pitch In mentee breakfast. 76 michiganavemag.com PEOPLE Spirit of Generosity