Mariners' wives make a difference

11/23/2005
SEATTLE -- The charitable contributions made by Mariners wives during a season might go mostly unnoticed, but never do their efforts go unappreciated.
Whether it's baking cookies and pies, holding an auction or collaborating on a cookbook of their husbands' favorite foods, the wives step to the plate and deliver a grand slam every year.
"Giving back to the community our husbands are in is a given," Karen Moyer said. "It is an honor to bring smiles to kids' faces when they are going through a difficult time. Sometimes simple things we take for granted mean the world to a child."
Moyer, wife of longtime Mariners left-hander and current free agent Jamie and mother of six, juggles her busy schedule so well that she finds time to be a mom and wife, help run the Moyer Foundation -- a charitable organization founded by her and husband several years ago -- and do her part with other players' wives for various regular-season charity events.
As a result, Mariners Care -- the organization's non-profit foundation and its corporate partners -- raised more than $1 million in 2005 for a variety of charities throughout the Northwest. It was the sixth consecutive year that Mariners Care surpassed the $1 million mark and more than $6.7 million has been raised since 2000.
"We take our responsibility to the community very seriously," Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln said. "The fans have been so supportive of us over the years that through Mariners Care we can make a positive and lasting impact on our community."
More than 1,500 local organizations benefit from the money raised each year.
Shirley Pineiro has visited Seattle Children's Hospital several times during her husband Joel's five seasons with the club, and she said each time brings the same satisfaction -- and sadness.
"It makes you feel good when you see the kids smile," she said, "but at the same time, it's sad because you know what they are going through."
Among the events the wives conducted in 2005:
• They collected, assembled and sold mystery grab bags of autographed baseballs and other items, raising $37,000 for First Place, a program that provides education and services for children who are homeless or in transition.
• Raised more than $18,000 during a silent auction of baskets filled with the favorite things of players, manager Mike Hargrove and his coaching staff. The event benefited the Army Emergency Relief (AER), a private non-profit organization that provides aid and emergency financial assistance to U.S. Army soldiers and their dependents.
• The Mariners Wives collection of women's apparel, sold exclusively in Mariners Team Stores. A large portion of the proceeds were donated to Gilda's Club of Seattle, a support center for families affected by cancer.
"We realize how blessed we are," Karen Moyer said, "so to support those in need is the right thing to do. The Mariners Wives make a bigger difference in the lives of many others because we are committed to the community that supports our husbands and realize the impact we can make.
"I am personally impressed when some of the wives go to other teams and they carry the same giving tradition with that to their next team and city."

Source: http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/