MIAMI (WSVN) - Christmas came early at Marlins Park for nearly 30 preschoolers.
Three and 4-year-olds from Nurturing Hispanic Communities Group, a local service organization, were treated to a fun-filled day at Marlins Park on Friday morning.
They got silly, with Santa Billy the Marlin, opened gifts and even got to play games on the field with former Marlins catcher Charles Johnson.
“Oh my goodness! This is cool!” said one child.
“They’re so excited,” said Miami Marlins Foundation Executive Director Rocky Egusquiza.
They also had the opportunity to take pictures with Marlins’ second baseman Isan Diaz.
“It’s great to just spread some cheer, put some laughs, put some smiles on the kids’ faces, and just have this opportunity to come out on such a tough time and just spread some love,” said Diaz.
“It’s awesome,” said Johnson. “It’s been such a challenging year for all of us and I think a lot of us have been waiting for this time of the year, for Christmas to come around a little bit and have some kind of joy.”
The Miami Marlins Foundation had some help in making the memorable experience happen.
“It’s nice to be able to get out, especially to the stadium,” said HairClub President and CEO Mike Nassar. “I think this is going to make great memories for everybody, including us.”
It’s a day the kids will most likely be talking about for a while, and it’s just part of an entire week of holiday giving.
“We’re just so excited that our team, the Miami Marlins, and us as an organization, are able to bring smiles to kids in a year that we know they’ve missed out on so much,” said Egusquiza.
The week of giving for the Miami Marlins Foundation includes gift giveaways and food distributions as well.
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