Phillies Invite Public To Step Up to the Plate For Ashburn Heart Fundraiser
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Phillies haven't shown much power so far this season, so maybe you're watching and saying, "Even I could hit one out of Citizens Bank Park!"
Well, now you have your chance -- for charity.
The 16th annual "Richie Ashburn Home Runs for Heart" event gives you the opportunity to stand at home plate and swing for the fences.
Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association, a charity dear to Richie Ashburn's son Rich.
"I've had people say to me that they entered into this just to get the chance to hit at Citizens Bank, and then they found out what it really was about," the young Ashburn tells KYW Newsradio.
And what's it's about is raising money for local cardiovascular disease and stroke research.
Forty-year-old Derek Fitzgerald of Harleysville, Pa., got a new heart two years ago. "You lay in that bed and you're waiting for a heart transplant, and you're wondering if you're going to wake up the next day," he recalls.
This year's Home Runs for heart is May 6th and 7th. It costs $400 per individual or $1,500 for a foursome to take part.
