A Friend of Baseballisms, Rickey Scarbrough, is the founder of Maggie’s Hope. The Mission of Maggie’s Hope is to reach out to families who might be in need of funding for unfunded co-pays, alternative treatments and access to special dietary solutions. He hosted a special Autism Awareness Day at Turner Field, and was so kind to share his story with us. You can keep up with his efforts via Twitter or Facebook.
Thanks for sharing Rickey!
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Sunday morning, 29 August 2010, 0900, we pulled the truck into a spot located near the front of the Green Parking Lot at Turner Field, Atlanta Georgia. I kill the engine and glance over my shoulder pausing, if only for a brief moment. “Let’s do it” I say with guarded confidence. Our team springs into action. Gathering our gear I give a nod to my First Mate and Daughter Mia E Scarbrough. Her eyes tell me everything I need to know. Good to go. Her journey to this point in life has been no picnic. Maggie gets a lot of press, and is the face of our organization. Maggie’s therapy, diet, IEP, supplementation, meltdowns and recovery are forever walking point at Scarbrough Headquarters {HQ}. Mia is the un-sung hero, quietly living her life, loving her sister and excelling at everything she tries, all with the compassion and grace far beyond her nine years. I am proud to have her at my side and together we will bring our message to the masses preparing to enjoy our nation’s pastime.
For today’s mission we have secured the assistance of my assistant and first cousin Jennifer W Garten and her husband Stephen. Decked out in their Maggie’s Hope Battle Dress Uniforms {BDU}, they set up position at my flank and gather our essential gear. Ballpoint pen, check. Maggie’s Hope flyer, check. Info Sheet, check, grub {granola bar, plain}, check. Embarking on their first mission {greener} they have yet to develop the thousand yard stare, but do not let that fool you. Their commitment is mission critical and having walked in formation at the Atlantic Station sortie two years in a row they are no stranger to our movement.
Our contact intercepts us at the rendezvous point and lays out the logistics of today’s activities. Thankfully they special ordered overcast weather, nothing like preaching Autism Activism while dancing around to keep the souls of your shoes from melting in place. A small chance of precipitation does not dampen our spirit and we go about arming the booth and establishing a perimeter. I scout the immediate area and recognize our allies. Odd that the bigger Autism organizations opted out, no matter we have a small but committed contingency. Making my way from position to position I catch up with old friends and sign on some new ones. I am honored to stand among you.
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