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| Baseball legend Harmon Killebrew with GOD'S CHILD Project North Central Executive Director Jena Gullo and International Executive Director, Patrick Atkinson |
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Legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew Steps Up to the Bat for the Children of The GOD'S CHILD Project
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Legendary Minnesota Twins baseball Hall of Famer, Harmon Killebrew, has come home to the Midwest to be the keynote speaker for The GOD'S CHILD Project Charity Dinner on three different occasions: in Bismarck (North Dakota), Fargo (North Dakota) and Minneapolis - St. Paul (Minnesota), for specially themed "Celebrating the Children of the World" events.
"We were so excited to have Harmon Killebrew back with us, and to have brought him 'home' to the Midwest. He's a legend in the minds of many people and he brings back great memories for so many of our local benefactors and volunteers. On top of his baseball greatness, he also inspires children across the country to reach out and help others. He's a perfect tie-in with the mission of The GOD'S CHILD Project" stated Executive Director, Jena Gullo.
Due to his raw power and monumental home run success, Harmon Killebrew became known as one of the hardest hitters in baseball. Killebrew played in the American League for 22 years and was affectionately nicknamed "Killer" in contradiction of his easygoing nature. He hit more home runs than any other right-handed batter in League history at the time of his retirement. He was a powerful, dynamitic hitter who could draw a crowd.
In the words of Harmon Killebrew, "Life is precious and time is a key element. Let's make every moment count and help those who have a greater need than our own."
"Life is precious" when in 1984 Killebrew was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. But his greatest accomplishments have been in Harmon's ability in helping those who have a greater need than his own. That is what brings the "Killer" to North Dakota where he will speak on behalf of some of the poorest children in the world, the children of The GOD'S CHILD Project.
Killebrew demonstrated "making every moment count" by the numerous achievements during his baseball career. In 1959 he won the home run title with 42 homers. He was able to hit over 40 home runs eight times in his career. In 1969 he won the Most Valuable Player award when he hit 49 home runs. His record makes him third behind Babe Ruth and Ralph Kiner in home run percentage with 7.0. His career total for home runs is 573, and was he named an American League All-Star 11 times.
During the past 16 years, the North Dakota-based GOD'S CHILD Project has provided foster homes, legal support, medical care, food, clothing, and education to over 24,000 children in Guatemala, El Salvador, Africa, and to several communities across the Upper Midwest. "Ninety-six percent of funds raised are used to support our projects. Events such as our annual dinners are essential for the success of these programs," Gullo said.
The GOD'S CHILD Project was founded in 1991 by North Dakota native Patrick Atkinson to help orphaned and abandoned children that Atkinson had removed from war zones and poverty-stricken areas in Guatemala and raised during the 1980's. After Atkinson departed Central America in 1989 to work in Southeast Asia, he received hundreds of letters from these Guatemalan children who said that they needed his help again. He briefly returned to Guatemala to see if he could place these children with other programs, but when he couldn't, he founded The GOD'S CHILD Project and returned to care for them once again.
Atkinson sold his car and most of his personal property and used the proceeds to pay for the childrens' care and education. When these funds ran out, he returned to North Dakota and asked others to help. Some benefactors suggested he hold a dinner and use the moment to tell paying guests about the children he was caring for. An Annual Dinner has been held since.
During the 1990's, Atkinson removed hundreds of children from dangerous situations, including negotiating with gang leaders to buy dozens of children out of their memberships while helping others to escape from houses of prostitution. He arranged for still others to be released from juvenile detention centers and adult prison systems where they had been incarcerated for petty crimes such as begging or sleeping in the streets.
Over the next several years, Atkinson led the growth of The GOD'S CHILD Project to where it now includes a world-wide network of clinics, schools, nutrition sites, foster-homes and legal advocacy and community development centers. The GOD'S CHILD Project continues to be headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota.
A recently released biography about Atkinson entitled 'The Dream Maker' (www.The-Dream-Maker.com) by author Monica Hannan highlights Atkinson's incredible journey. For his work towards humanitarian care of the Mayan Indians and in helping to stop Guatemala's 37 year civil war, Atkinson was awarded the Guatemalan National Congressional Medal of Honor in 2005, among dozens of other regional and international human rights and community leadership awards. In 2007, he was named Goodwill Ambassador for Peace by the Guatemalan National Government, in a formal ceremony held in Guatemala's National Palace.
This year a documentary entitled "The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez" was completed and depicts the life of a boy Atkinson rescued in Guatemala and raised for fifteen years. Atkinson narrates key parts as it retraces Gutierrez' childhood, his care under Atkinson's guardianship and his early death as the first fallen American soldier in Iraq. This documentary is the winner of numerous international film festival awards, including The Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles International film awards.
Although a successful and highly-recognized program, THE GOD'S CHILD PROJECT still struggles from week to week to meet the needs of the 3000 children and over 8700 single mothers it cares for each day. This annual dinner is an effort to help them through the particularly slow summer months. "We are hoping for many calls for tickets and business sponsorships to support the children and families of our program. Killebrew is not only one of the all-time great athletes and a legend, he's an awfully nice man who does a lot to help children across the country" said Gullo. "He teaches us to appreciate all that we have been blessed with, reach out to those less fortunate, and to dream. What a great message for people of all ages!"
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| Minnesota Twins President Dave St. Peter with Harmon Killebrew |
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| Dave St. Peter introducing Harmon Killebrew |
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| St. Mary's alum Dave St. Peter, Debbie Fettig and Patrick Atkinson |
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