A-Rod’s Foundation Helps Year Round

By Richard Diaz
Love of Sports Correspondent

When all is said and done, Alex Rodriguez may possibly go down as the best player in MLB history. The ink is still drying on his $275 million dollar deal with the Yankees, and his wife Cynthia’s now pregnant with their second child.

You can almost picture the guy standing on the hood of his Bentley, bat in hand, screaming out “Derek Jeter ain’t got nothing on me”; but I digress.

You won’t find his name in the Mitchell Report, although Jose Canseco might put it in his upcoming book to generate some much needed attention.

Where you’ll find him is down in Miami, where he and his wife are hosting a charity event for the AROD Family Foundation. The two of them founded this charity to serve distressed and neglected children, which ultimately aids the entire family.

Whereas some athletes will host one event a year, Rodriguez and his wife make it a point to be charitable as often as time permits. It was less than a week ago they hosted a weekend long event where 10% of sales of the evening gowns that went down the runway went towards the charity.

This weekend’s event, appropriately named the All-Star Gala, will be held at the Ritz Carlton on South Beach in Miami, and prominent guests range from Alonzo Mourning and Mike Piazza, to Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the AROD Family Foundation, as will proceeds from the accompanying auction. To top it off, there’ll also be a poker tournament where the winner receives a seat at the $10,000 buy-in Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker.

With all the fuss over inflated salaries, it’s easy for critics to conveniently overlook how charitable some athletes are. A-Rod was an active member of community improvement projects down in Miami long before he was the highest paid athlete in baseball, but no one likes to highlight that tidbit.

Now, while it doesn’t take much to attach your name to a charity event or organization, it does take a lot to do so and take the extra step to ensure a difference is being made. For instance, the AROD Family Foundation is dedicated to positively impacting families in distress by supporting programs focusing on improved quality of life, education and mental health.

Some of the different events the AROD Family Foundation’s helped create include a Boys and Girls Clubs Christmas Dance, in which A-Rod and his wife hosted over 200 children that were treated to McDonald’s, face painting and carnival games. Each of these children received over $200 worth of gifts, were treated to a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ and ended their Christmas celebration with a dance.

Beyond that yearly tradition, the Foundation’s sponsored an annual basketball event that benefits multiple charities in the Miami area. It’s helped to make large donations to the Dominican Republic UNICEF, which translates to helping over 1,500 children.

In short, Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez deserve some mad Charitable Love for turning their fortune into the community’s fortune. It’s nice to know some athletes remember where they came from and what helped them become who they are.

To help with any of the causes Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez promote, go to the Foundation’s website - http://arod.mlb.com/players/rodriguez_alex/foundation/index.jsp.