Members of the St. Louis Cardinals (L to R) hitting coach Mark McGwire, manager Mike Matheny and General Manager John Mozeliak, pound nails into boards as they help rebuild homes in Joplin on August 20, 2012. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Following their marathon 19 inning, six hour, seven minute game on Sunday, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, hitting coach Mark McGwire and several other staff flew to Joplin to help build for Habitat for Humanity on Monday, as part of the Governor’s Joplin Challenge to build 35 houses. The Cardinals also presented a check for $200,000 that will be spread out to four children’s charities in Joplin.
The donations to Children’s Haven, Bright Futures, Ronald McDonald House of Joplin and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jasper & Newton Counties/Joplin were made possible by the generosity of fans who donated money to Cardinals Care’s Joplin Recovery fund as part of the Teams Unite for Joplin effort last summer.
“It’s unbelievable how far they’ve come since the devastation last year,” McGwire said. “It’s really cool that we’re a part of it. Mike Matheny and I were asked by general manager John Mozeliak and we said, ‘Absolutely, let’s go.’ How could we not? My brother back in California does this line of work. I have a lot of respect for these hard-working men and women who do this. It’s a lot of work.”
The checks were presented to four agencies who work with children in Joplin — $70,000 to Children’s Haven, $40,000 to Bright Futures, $20,000 to Ronald McDonald House, and $70,000 to Big Brothers & Big Sisters.