Phillies' Victorino opens new Boys & Girls Club
NICETOWN - September 22, 2011
The club is a newly renovated building in the Nicetown section of the city.
The Shane Victorino Nicetown Boys and Girls club now bears his name, and no small amount of his pride.
"I know that for the rest of my life that I'll make an impact. My kids can come back and say look at what my dad did for our community," said Victorino.
The building was first opened in 1906 so it was in desperate need of repair.
Along with his wife Melissa, Victorino pledged $1 million to turn what was a dilapidated, dangerous structure into newly reformed building.
It now has a computer room, lounges, study rooms, a new gym and 16,000 square feet of space to serve 300 kids every day.
"Hopefully one day someone will say Shane Victorino made an impact in my life and that's more than just giving them someplace to go," said Victorino.
On a stage that included ESPN's Chris Berman, Phillies President David Montgomery and the Executive Vice President of Major League baseball, the significance of this donation greatly recognized.
However, it was two other guests whose presence proved this was much more than a check to charity.
With a hug, Victorino's parents flew 5,000 miles from Hawaii to be there, showing what may be the only greater pride than what the city has for this slugger.
