Mark Wahlberg makes it local for Duvall Valley Bombers

I stumbled on this while waiting for a manager at my bank – The Woodinville Weekly, Vol. 42 No. 23, March 12, 2018 Front Page  (and page 6)  featured this terrific article, Duvall Valley Bombers Mark Wahlberg helps propel Cooperstown trip fundraiser, about his spontaneous, heartfelt support for a local boys baseball team, the Duvall Valley Bombers, as they dream, plan, and sweat for a chance to play at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. I’m not going to quote the whole article – it’s just a bit long for a blog! Here’s the essence:

“While filming on location in Bogota (and being visited on set by Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos), actor Mark Wahlberg  looked into the camera and gave a shout out to some boys from Duvall.

‘Hey guys, Mark Wahlberg here’, he said. ‘I’m asking you to please support the U-12 Duvall Valley Bombers as they raise money for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play baseball at the Hall of Fame Mecca at Cooperstown, New York. Good luck, have a great time, God bless you all.'”

That simple gesture brought in $5,000 dollars.

“The Duvall Valley Bombers were started five years ago. A group of dads wanted to expose their kids to a higher level of baseball. The problem with select programs is that they conduct tryouts and then take only the most talented players. The Bombers wanted to do a little different.

These Duvall dads created a grass roots team that focused on recruiting kids with great attitude and work ethic, as opposed to simply being the most talented….”

It would take me weeks to explain how many different aspects of this story appeal to me. So I merely share.