This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola's Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Weeks after their annual Thanksgiving meal distribution event, the Marlins continued spreading the holiday cheer by giving back to the community with their annual holiday party for local elementary school kids.
A group of 120 students ages 5 to 8 from nearby Lenora B. Smith Elementary, Citrus Grove K-8 and Frederick Douglass Elementary took part in Deck the Diamond presented by TECO Peoples Gas on Thursday morning at loanDepot park.
Outfielder Griffin Conine, the Marlins’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee, Billy the Marlin and Pepito the Rooster were on hand to distribute presents and guide the children through stations with the roof open on a cooler day in the 305.
“It’s a really important part of who I am, and just being one of the few guys that’s here in the offseason as part of the Marlins, always want to be involved in the community, especially this time of the year,” said Conine, who was born and raised in South Florida. “It’s important to give back and bring smiles to kids’ faces any way we can.”
The event aimed to brighten the holidays for elementary school kids in underserved communities, providing the students with a field trip to the Marlins’ ballpark, where they enjoyed arts and crafts activities like DIY ornaments and gratitude sheets of what they were thankful for this year; field games like the fundamentals of baseball and softball as well as a reindeer ring toss; a Chick-Fil-A lunch with snacks; a photo op with Conine and Billy The Marlin, who was dressed in his Santa Claus outfit; and holiday treats.
Each student, decked in a Santa Claus hat, walked out with both a gift from the Marlins and TECO Peoples Gas, and with the holiday ornament they designed at the party.
“Events like today speak to the soul of this organization,” said Alfredo Mesa, Marlins vice president of public affairs. “The Miami Marlins and the Marlins Foundation, giving back is part of our DNA, it’s part of who we are. We have great partners, great sponsors coming together with us to give back to these kids from our neighborhood. Two organizations with a commitment to this community, and as you can see the smiles on these kids’ faces, that’s all we need to see, that we were able to do something for them to brighten up the holiday season.”
Employees from both the Marlins and TECO Peoples Gas volunteered to decorate a Christmas tree, wrap presents and participate in the various activities.
“It’s a wonderful event for not only the kids but our employees to interact with the community that both the Marlins and us serve, and an opportunity for our employees to engage with that community and engage with the kids and enjoy the Christmas holiday,” said Sergio Abreu, TECO Peoples Gas regional manager of external affairs.
One station proved to be more popular than the others: the gift giving. Students received anything from Beblox building blocks to dancing challenge playmats to National Geographic motorized marble runs.
“This one’s the best one ‘cause it’s where the presents are,” Conine said. “Giving out presents to all the kids, it’s a lot of fun. It’s cool to see how excited they are. Everyone loves getting presents before Christmas. It’s always a fun surprise.”