June 8 2020 – The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation (ARFF) donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital June 1 to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in South Florida.
The PPE, primarily masks, was personally delivered by Chicago Cubs star and South Florida native Anthony Rizzo, along with his parents, John and Laurie. Hospital CEO Caitlin Stella welcomed the Rizzos and accepted their donation on behalf of the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation. She also thanked the family for providing meals to the healthcare team each week since March.
“Even during a pandemic, we can help, by donating PPE, meals to the nurses, or with all the cancer patient and families we deal with. The mission never ends, it’s just another step,” said Rizzo, himself a cancer survivor.
ARFF donated $1 million to the children’s hospital’s foundation last November to endow funds to aid patients and families fighting pediatric cancer. The “Hope 44 Endowed Fund” will provide grants for families facing financial hardship during a child’s cancer treatment. The “Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation Child Life Endowed Fund” allocates the resources for a full-time oncology child life specialist, a professional who helps reduce anxiety and normalize the hospital experience for both patients and families.
Rizzo was diagnosed and treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2008, just as he was beginning his professional baseball career.
