Teenagers get some surprise visitors: Four Yankees
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About 30 teenagers packed into an un-air-conditioned apartment Monday for a leadership meeting in Washington Heights.
In the middle of a role-playing game in which the teens acted out life issues and how to deal with them, Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and Joe Girardi walked in.
"It was funny because for the first one-Mississippi, two-Mississippis, three-Mississippis, there was silence. Like they could not possibly process what's happening," said Yankees media relations director Jason Zillo, the brains behind the visit. "Then about three seconds later, they were like, 'Oh my God, the New York Yankees.' "
The Yankees' visit to the apartment of Marco and Jennifer Chiappetta, directors of the non-profit Patchwork of Young Leaders Society, was the first of five scheduled charity outings this week, dubbed "Helping Others Persevere and Excel (HOPE) Week'' by the team.
Intended to be a departure from the typical charity events the team takes part in, HOPE Week involves every player on the roster and offers local groups more than just a financial contribution or a free day at the Stadium. A different group of players is scheduled for a surprise visit each day, culminating in a trip to that day's game.
"The goal here is to have something that the entire organization is a part of," Mark Teixeira said. "Each one of us has individual charities that we donate to or are involved in, but this is a Yankees team week."
CC Sabathia, who appeared on "Live With Regis and Kelly" and the "Today" show Monday to promote the week, and Derek Jeter were careful not to say too much about the rest of the week's surprises. "It's a great idea,'' Jeter said. "You get an opportunity to meet a lot of those great people and as an organization really recognize what they've done."
The Chiappettas were born and raised in Washington Heights. About three years ago, Marco noticed an abandoned local schoolyard and wanted to do something about it. "I stood there for a couple days, waited for one kid to come," said Marco, 27. "As soon as he came by, I introduced myself, of course very nervous because I was waiting for that moment. I said I wouldn't mind throwing a football with him, catching a ball."
Within a month, about 60 teens started showing up, and the Chiapettas left their jobs to run the program.
Marco, whom Zillo remembered hearing about when HOPE Week was planned, called the Yankees' visit "phenomenal."
"For one moment, the Yankees became us,'' Marco said, "and it let the kids know that no matter what you do, no matter how much money you have, great people will connect with each other."
