Yankees players meet with teens from the Patchwork for Young Leaders Society (Photo by Juliet Papa)
Posted: Monday, 20 July 2009 3:51PM
Yankees Kick Off HOPE Week, Surprise Washington Heights Group
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The New York Yankees are bringing a little hope to the community.
Juliet Papa reports
The team suprised the teenagers of the Patchwork for Young Leaders Society Monday afternoon as they kicked off HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere and Excel).
Marco and Jennifer Chiappetta created the organization at their Washington Heights home a few years ago becoming mentors to at-risk teenagers in the neighborhood.
Players Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and Manager Joe Girardi donated atheltic gear to the group Monday before speaking to the teenagers about leadership. The group, along with the Chiappetta's, will be taken to tonight's Yankees-Orioles game in the Bronx.
The Chiappetta's started the group in 2006 after seeing local schoolyards abandoned by children. The couple started going to the P.S. 48 schoolyard and engaging the neighborhood kids in games and sports hoping to spark a change in the culture of the neighborhood.
Within a month, dozens of teenagers started showing up at the park and before long the Chiappetta's also opened their home to the children and found themselves with a full house every night of the week. The organization is now 150 kids strong.
The Patchwork of Young Leaders Society's mission is to serve urban communities through afterschool and summer programs that nurture leadership abilities through emotional connections.
The Yankees will reach out to an individual, family or organization every day to celebrate HOPE Week.
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