A Summer to Remember

I was pleasantly surprised to walk out of my house this morning and into less than 100 degree weather. It’s a beautiful day in Baltimore, which provoked a reflective drive to Columbia.

This summer flew by (I swear that’s not an attempt to make up for being an absent blogger!), but it was absolutely a summer to remember.

Maroon PR is fortunate to work with some incredible clients, including several non-profit organizations who really flourish during the summer months. Beginning in July I was given the opportunity to spend time with these organizations at a few of their events.

The weekend of July 23, Ang and I drove up to Camp Erin, Baltimore. Camp Erin is a bereavement camp that Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife Karen started after losing a close friend of theirs, Erin Metcalfe to cancer. We spent the weekend with 50 children, all of whom had experienced the loss of a loved one. We watched them learn from each other how to grieve and express their loss through simple things like swimming in a nice pool, to the deeper events like posting a photo of the person they lost on a memory board. It was a remarkable experience that both Ang and I left better people from.

A few Sunday’s later we were part of The Right Side Foundation’s 5K Event at Patterson Park. The event in itself was fun to witness as it brought together athletes from all over the East Coast. The part, though that will stick with me is that from this event, The Right Side Foundation raised a significant amount of money to donate back to distressed children throughout Maryland. Being allowed to witness such a large community of athletes, both professional and non, come together for such an amazing cause is humbling to say the least.

The last “big event” of the summer just ended on Sunday. The Cal Ripken World Series took place in Aberdeen and became home to sixteen 12-U teams from all over the world. Through the week, these young players celebrated their talents, and mourned their losses together. It was a great time for them to bond and grow as both athletes and people. The World Series also allowed for a “Badges for Baseball” event to take place, which brought young kids from the Boys & Girls Club to Ripken Stadium for a morning of clinics, playing and hanging out with Cal Ripken, Jr.

I face the end of the summer as bittersweet. While I look forward to red wine, college football and a great selection of new shoes, it’s tough to say goodbye to a season that taught me so much.