MINNEAPOLIS -- Saturday will be all about Joe Mauer, who will become the eighth Twins player or manager to have his number retired by the organization. But for Mauer, Friday was all about the kids.

Mauer hosted the fourth annual Mauer and Friends Kids Classic at Target Field on Friday morning, during which 25 patients of Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul and their families joined Mauer, several current and former Twins, and stars from other Twin Cities professional sports teams for an hour of on-field activities followed by a pizza luncheon.

What originally started as a pizza party that Mauer and his wife, Maddie, would host for Gillette's kids at Davanni's in St. Paul has quickly grown into a unique annual event, with all proceeds from the event and fundraising luncheon supporting the children and their families.

"Joe's always had a really big heart and a special place in his heart for our kids," Gillette's spokesman Nick Hanson said. "That's really cool, because our kids have really complex medical conditions -- they have traumatic brain injuries, they have cerebral palsy, spina bifida, other things like that -- so a day like this is just magnificent.

"It helps them feel like their friends and their peers, and their brothers and their sisters, and they're just like any other kid. It shows that they can do anything."

The 2019 event featured former Twins players Justin Morneau, Jim Thome, Johan Santana, Michael Cuddyer, Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan and Corey Koskie, and current players Miguel Sano, Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, Wild alternate captain Zach Parise and Minnesota United defender Brent Kallman were also in attendance.

Kids and their families could rotate between stations that included batting practice with Sano, Nathan, Cuddyer and Hunter; slapshots with Parise; football toss with Thielen and Koskie; soccer with Kallman, Gibson and Morneau; and pitching and catching with Santana and Thome.

"It's unbelievable the amount of support that we continue to see, year in and year out," Mauer said. "As you guys saw, the panel we had today was pretty strong with ex-teammates of mine, and the Vikings represented, and the United represented, and the Wild. It really is special when you get those guys coming out here and support what you're trying to do."

Mauer initially got involved because his wife was a nurse for Gillette's, and according to Hanson, the event has blossomed as the Mauer family stays involved and sponsors continue to get excited and donate. Hanson said Mauer will sometimes drop into the hospital for special visits to help kids celebrate achieving a milestone.

"We have a lot of athletes that come through the hospital and visit our kids," Hanson said. "Most of them are great. Most of them are nice. Nobody compares to Joe. Joe is one of the most kindhearted athletes that I've ever met or that people at Gillette have met.

"It's [the older Twins] that made me realize that I do have a platform and you try to use it for good when you can," Mauer said. "That's all I try to do. I learn from them and try to pass that along to some of the younger guys as well. Like I said, to see some of those guys and to see some of the younger guys come out and support me today, it really means a lot."