enCourage Kids Night at Citi Field a rousing success

The enCourage Kids Foundation continue to do wonderful things within the community, this time setting up shop at Citi Field for their 17th annual Kids Night at Citi Field.  The event took place Thursday night and included tickets to the game for kids in the foundation and their families, a pre-game barbecue provided by Aramark and a first pitch thrown out by New York Miss Sweetheart/Royal International Miss Dorian Solimano.

For those who aren’t familiar with enCourage Kids Foundation, it has has helped humanize healthcare for children and their families by resourcing impact—driven pediatric programs and supporting the Child Life Community. Serving more than 400,000 children annually, their programs offer relief from the constant burden of treatment, hospital stays and doctor appointments, while also helping pediatric facilities to meet the unique needs of their patients. enCourage Kids Foundation envisions a world where every child—regardless of the difficulty of his or her medical journey—experiences joy, hope, resilience and healing.

17th Annual enCourage Kids night at Citi Field tonight for Mets-Cardinals. Great night for a great cause. Full story @DoubleGSports coming this week. pic.twitter.com/nGnTLpX7uz

— Chris Passarelli (@SupRos22) June 13, 2019

President and CEO of enCourage Kids Michele Hall-Duncan has been working with the Mets for almost two decades and she along with former Jets legend Erik Coleman and his model/actress wife Sabrina joined in on the festivities.  Double G Sports spoke to all three and got their input on the enCourage Kids night at Citi Field.

President and CEO Michele Hall-Duncan on relationship with Mets

“We’ve been working with the Mets for 17 years now and the Wilpons have been wonderful with our foundation.  One of our board members is close with them and they’ve been nothing but gracious with the foundation.  We’ve been doing this for such a long time because of the way we’re treated at Citi Field and before that Shea Stadium”.

On what it means to the kids and their families

“This is always one of my favorite events of the year for the kids.  Sure the Gala is nice but this is a way for kids and their families to enjoy the game, kind of let their hair down and have a fun time with their other friends.  It brings a sense of normalcy because it’s just kids having a great time and spending time with their families”.

Erik and Sabrina Coleman on why this event is a success

Erik – “This is a great foundation and to have the kids be able to attend a ballgame with their loved ones is important.  It’s a way for everyone to get out and just enjoy themselves.  It’s an amazing event because when it comes down to it it’s just kids being able to watch baseball and eat hot dogs”.

Sabrina – “I agree with everything Erik says and just want to add that it’s always special to see all of the enCourage kids be able to be just that;  kids.  This is a great family event and it seems like everyone who comes to these events are all close”.

Sabrina is absolutely right, as it was alluded to many times that this organization isn’t so much a foundation as it is a family.  This was reinforced especially by Michele’s good friend and mother of two enCourage children, Norma.  In addition to Norma’s comments on family, Dorian Solimano also spoke about how all her friends were here and how much fun she was having.

It was yet another successful night at Citi Field as the children of enCourage Kids got to enjoy a great night for baseball.  Although the rain washed away the ending of the Mets-Cardinals game, the smiles on the faces of all the enCourage families couldn’t be wiped away.

To learn more about the enCourage Kids Foundation: www.enCourage-kids.org