Priceless Donations
By Kerry Monaco - Southampton Press
Matthew Rodriguez, in Marlins jersey, left, started the charity Cleats for Kids, which donates used baseball equipment to needy children in the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez is from Oyster Bay, but his cause has reached the area with donations coming from
a network of people involved that ranges far and wide, with the expansive web funneling back to one boy with a mission—to help those in need.
Matthew Rodriguez founded Cleats for Kids, a charity organization that collects used baseball equipment to donate to needy children in the Dominican Republic. While the 12-year-old lives in Oyster Bay, his cause draws support from people all over Long Island, including residents of Center Moriches, East Moriches, Quogue and Hampton Bays.
Next month, Matthew, along with his parents, Ralph and Shirley, and his 8-year-old sister, Melanie, will head to the Dominican Republic for the fourth time, bringing along bats, balls, helmets, cleats and various other pieces of baseball equipment to kids in need. All the equipment has been collected from generous donations to a cause that is spread by word of mouth.
The connection moved east from Oyster Bay through Jodi Failla, who is from Center Moriches and now lives in Quogue. Failla met Matthew’s mother at a Central Islip elementary school, where they teach across the hall from one another.
“I find it inspiring that a child, on his own, thought of a way to help other kids,” Failla said.
Failla’s husband, Steve, who is a teacher in the Riverhead School District and coaches football at Center Moriches, has also chipped in on the campaign by using his coaching and teaching connections to have equipment donated from people in the Riverhead, Center Moriches and East Moriches areas.
“We want people to get up and get stuff out of their basements and garages that they don’t want or don’t use anymore because these kids can use it,” said Anthony Eaderesto, who noted that his business, Rico’s Clothing in Center Moriches, is a drop-off point for donations.
And it moved further east from there.
Hampton Bays resident Scott Green, the owner of Play at the Plate, which runs adult baseball tournaments, found out about the program from a flyer at his barber shop, Main Street Haircutters in Riverhead. In his first round of donations last year, Green donated a large amount of equipment, including full catcher’s gear.
“I have so much equipment that I’m happy to donate it,” he said. “I figured I would help out because it was for a good cause and it has to do with baseball. I still have more equipment and would be happy to give them more.”
Matthew said that the inspiration for his cause came about four years ago when he saw a television program about conditions in the Dominican Republic.
He has also seen things firsthand. Matthew’s parents were both born in the Dominican Republic and while on a trip back to their birthplace, Matthew witnessed the poor conditions the residents lived in and how little they had.
“The TV show showed the lives of baseball players in Third World countries, like in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and it showed how kids played with sticks, caught balls with milk cartons and taped up shirts to make the ball,” said Matthew, who plays both baseball and hockey. “I decided that I wanted to help them so I made the organization Cleats for Kids and it grew from there.”
Shirley Rodriguez admits that when her son first pitched the idea to her and her husband, they put him off for a little while but he persisted, coming up with an outline for his program and sending out flyers with fellow students and setting up a donation box at the school.
“He’s been like this since he was very little and the older he gets, the more focused he is on giving and helping others,” she said. “My husband and I just couldn’t believe how it took off. We’re very proud of him and we admire the motivation that he has. We deeply admire that.”
On his last trip to the Dominican Republic in February, Matthew delivered 10 suitcases full of equipment.
“They love it when I come,” said Matthew, who will enter eighth grade in the fall. “They all get really excited. They can’t buy the equipment. It helps a lot when people donate it.”
The cause has required a dedication from his parents as well, who are more than willing to fund the trips to the Dominican Republic. His sister Melanie also chipped in, setting up a donation box at her school to collect equipment.
“We’re from the Dominican Republic and we feel such a personal connection because we lived in that. We don’t come from families that are well off,” she said. “For us, it was just a thrill that Matthew took an interest in helping kids like that.”
Cleats for Kids isn’t the only cause that is close to Matthew’s heart. At the age of 4, he was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and he is now a spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He will also become the youngest camp counselor at the Robert K. Sweeney Summer Fun Days Diabetes Camp in Yaphank this summer.
“I said I would do it because it’s so cool because the other counselors are older, like 15 or 16,” he said. “I thought it was really nice of them to ask me to be a counselor there.”
While diabetes has caused Matthew to miss out on some things, like playing football, his mother said that he refuses to let the disease get him down.
“He’s focusing on things that fill his life with joy,” she said. “I think it’s a balance of the challenge he faces with diabetes. This has made diabetes small in his life, which is powerful. I see so many other kids that let diabetes get in the way and are so miserable about it. He’s so focused on something so positive.”
For more information on the program or to donate, call (516) 816-1192.
September 24, 2007
Hi Scott,
This is Matthew Rodriguez from Cleats 4 Kids. I would just like to say thanks to you and all of the great people,for donating all of the hats, gloves, pants, socks, shirts, bags, baseball bats, and most importantly CLEATS!!! That is such a big help because we have not been getting as much bats, gloves, bags and baseballs as they need but your donation changed those shortages.
When I came back from the Dominican Republic I saw the mountains of cleats in my garage that you delivered. Wow, you and your baseball buddies really COLLECTED A LOT OF GREAT BASEBALL STUFF. When the kids saw me arriving with all the suitcases, they ran to try on cleats and baseball shirts. I will soon email you the pictures.
The kids play on a field that is a farm and a huge brown calf walked right onto the outfield. These kids really appreciate all your baseball stuff. One baseball costs about 10 American dollars, that could be dinner for most of the families. Your baseballs will mean a lot to the kids that don't even own their own baseball to practice with. I can't believe how hard you and your friends worked on getting all of the cleats and other equipment.
So thank you again for donating all of those cleats and the ball that you signed for me along with the hat. I put the ball in my glass baseball case in the middile of my Barry Bonds aoutograph ball and my Juan Marichall ball. Thanks to all who donated, the kids are going to love this equipment. I will write to you when my dad and I take our next trip to the Dominican Republic to deliver Cleats 4 Kids!
From, Matthew Rodriguez
