It doesn’t have to be baseball season for Anthony Rizzo to hit a home run. The Chicago Cubs’ three-time MLB All-Star and his charity, the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, raised more than $1.2 million at their seventh-annual Walk-Off For Cancer 5K walk.
The event, which was held on Dec. 2 in Rizzo’s hometown of Parkland, Florida, raised money for the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and for families affected by cancer.
“It is amazing to be back here this year for a great cause at Pine Trails Park,” Rizzo told The Sun-Sentinel. “(Parkland) is a resilient community that comes down and supports [the walk] every single year.
“Obviously, it has been a trying year for everybody,” he said. “Everyone has persevered, and it is just good to have a good event here.”
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! What an incredible Walk-Off for Cancer we had yesterday. We raised more than $1.2 MILLION dollars and it was all because of YOU! Thank you for helping us knock Cancer out of the park! @GallagherGlobal @gbtpa pic.twitter.com/fo1nhFNexO
— A. Rizzo Foundation (@RizzoFoundation) December 3, 2018
Rizzo knows all about how cancer can wreak havoc in a person’s life. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008 at the age of 18, and underwent chemotherapy for six months during his Triple A career.
“This was very tough for my family as my Grandma was also battling breast cancer at the same time. As bad as I felt I never let on. I knew I had to stay strong for everyone around me,” he says on the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation website. “I then realized that no matter how difficult fighting cancer was for me, it was even more difficult for my family. I believe that an individual does not battle cancer, but rather the whole family does.”
That’s why in 2012, Rizzo started his foundation to help others “step up to the plate” in their fight against cancer.
During Saturday’s walk, Rizzo took to the 3.1-mile route with supporters and also used the opportunity to connect with the Stoneman Douglas High School baseball team.
“I think it is great because he does so much for our community and our school,” Douglas junior Colin Flynn, 17, told The Sun Sentinel. “Ever since everything happened, he has been there for us and this event shows who he truly is to the whole Parkland community. We like to lean on him because he is a big guy up in our world and he is always there for us.”
Off season time well spent on Rizzo’s part.
