A Girl Named Emma

“Hey Mister I heard about your little boy”

“Team Will To Live”, a travel baseball team, made up of 13 year old kids from around the Johns Creek, GA area, concluded their season this summer (June 2013) by playing in the “Ripken Experience,” a wonderfully run week long tournament, in Myrtle Beach, SC. After each game we met the other team on the pitcher’s mound and gave to them our “Life Teammates” speech and handed out “Love Ya Man” wristbands as well.

One morning after the completion of our game, a little girl named Emma, who I later found out was the sister of a player on the Cooper City, FL team we had played the night before, came up to me and quietly said:

“Hey Mister, I heard you talking to my brother’s team last night about your little boy who died – and my class had some extra money that we raised – so can I please give this to your foundation?”

Well, after I wiped away my tears, I hugged this little girl hard and gratefully accepted her $43.00 donation which will enable over 100 more kids – approximately 8 more baseball teams – to hear our message of hope and wear our wristbands to help spread awareness in their own communities.

The Will To Live Foundation was created by the kids and for the kids, and what Emma did on that sunny morning in Myrtle Beach makes all the efforts of the foundation worth while.

Emma, thanks so much for being an ambassador of our Life Teammates message – we certainly do “Love Ya Man!”

– John Trautwein (President of WTL and Asst. Coach of “Team WTL” and Father of Will)

June 2013