Baseball’s McGwire a Big Hit at Fund-Raiser
Baseball slugger Mark McGwire had admirers gawking and gushing during a fund-raiser Sunday for the Stuart House, a nonprofit agency in Santa Monica that helps victims of child abuse.
The crowd gathered on the lawn of a private home for the event included many folks from the entertainment industry, most of them usually unfazed by the sight of a star. But that was different with McGwire.
Producer/writer Norman Lear looked over at the giant of a man who was the afternoon’s main attraction. Lear smiled and put into words what everyone at the event, successful adults and rambunctious kids alike, was thinking:
“It’s a great day for all of us” Lear said. “A chance to meet a real hero.”
Even before McGwire hit a record-breaking 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals last season, he had pledged to provide financial assistance for Stuart House and a few other facilities across the country that provide aid to abused kids.
Sunday’s fund-raiser, billed as an opportunity for families to meet McGwire, attracted around 130 people, many paying between $1,000 and $3,000 for the chance to munch on burgers and hot dogs with the muscular 6-foot, 5-inch redhead.
McGwire said he became involved with the Stuart House two years ago when a good friend began volunteering there. She told him the house provided a special comfort to kids who had gone through beatings, rape and incest.
“I had to help” he said, adding that battling child abuse has developed into a great passion. “I’ve got to do something to help the helpless, to help kids who go through abuse.
“I believe there’s a purpose why we are on this planet and there’s a reason for things happening like the year I had,” he said. “And maybe part of why I’m here is to help out with facilities like Stuart House and urge people to start talking about abuse.”
McGwire has a long history of giving time and money to children’s causes, including helping finance the renovation of a children’s hospital in the Bay Area. Motivated partly by Polly Klaas, the Petaluma girl kidnapped and killed in 1993, he has worn sweatbands emblazoned with the faces of missing children to raise awareness about their plight.
After signing a $30-million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997, McGwire promised to give away $3 million over several years to organizations that serve needy and abused kids. The Stuart House was one of the first groups to get his support.
Stuart House opened in 1988 and now gets about one new case per day. Each child is helped by specially trained doctors, child advocates, police and lawyers. After making abuse claims, youths are assigned therapists for their emotional needs and legal advocates who monitor their progress, if needed, in the court system.
McGwire described Stuart House as a place where children “get respect.” Several participants in the fund-raiser said they dipped into their pockets gladly. It’s not every day, said one woman, you get to give to a charity and meet a man who personifies “Apple pie and the best thing about this country.”
Ken Moelis, who brought his family, said $3,000 was a small price to pay to help support abused kids and meet McGwire.
“He’s the biggest person I’ve ever seen” said Moelis’ son, Cory, 10. “But what I like about him is that he seems mostly just like a regular guy, a regular guy who likes to help little kids.”
