Friday Features: UM Baseball Helps Light the Night Annually for Cancer Families
By Chris Megginson
Serving the local community has been as much of the University if Montevallo's fall baseball routine as its annual prospect showcase. The Falcons have been a mainstay in recent years at the Field of Angels league in Calera each September, playing baseball with children and adults with special needs and participating in the end of the year awards ceremony. But the event that has hit home the most is the team's involvement in the Alabama Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s annual Light the Night Walk.
The November event, which raises money for cancer treatments and research, has been a staple for the Falcons ever since Coach
Chandler Rose told his players his personal battle with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
"It was kind of surprising for all of us to hear,” said
Tanner Koch, a fifth-year senior pitcher. “Going into it knowing Coach Rose had an experience with cancer, it made it a little bit more special. It made it a lot easier to support these people and made it a lot closer to home for us to go out and serve others."
Rose, now in his eighth season as the Falcons' head coach, was diagnosed in October 2009 while working as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy. He underwent six rounds of chemo on Mondays every third week until his last treatment on Feb. 1, 2010. He never missed a beat, joining the team for its season opener at Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 19.
Months after being declared cancer free, Rose was hired as Montevallo's head coach in May 2010. Upon arriving in the Birmingham area, his wife, Sarah, took a job at the ALLS where she coordinated the Light the Night Walk. Rose had not previously heard of the event but knew it was one he needed to get his family, coaching staff and team involved with and has remained involves ever since.
"Naturally, I was like, 'hey, I need to be part of this organization. It’s helped save my life, and if I can give back and help other people, we need to do that,'" Rose said.
Each year, the Falcons baseball players help serve any place there's a need during the event from set up to passing out food, T-shirts and balloons to participants during the event to clean up and breaking down and loading chairs, tables and tents afterwards.
"I can’t give our guys enough credit for how much they do and how much they enjoy doing it," Rose said. "You name it, and they’re involved."
This past fall marked the third consecutive year the Falcons have worked the event and fifth time in Rose's tenure at UM.
"It’s been awesome. I think it’s become something our guys look forward to every year. I think those things have become a staple to our program," Rose said. "Our guys really enjoy going Downtown (Birmingham). It gives them a chance to be around each other in a different setting, getting to know each other, but helping out in the community and interacting with a lot of different people ... They get caught up in college and baseball, and gives them a chance to see the other things going on in life around them and how fortunate they are."
Senior pitcher
Drew Mullinax has been part of the event the last three years. Having lost a grandmother to cancer, he enjoys being able to give back.
“It really is a special time. You never realize how many people are affected by cancer and being able to set time apart and really think about all of the people who have gone through it, and enjoy time together, and being able to serve these people has been really great," Mullinax said.
Koch said the team's focus each year is to lighten the mood as they interact with cancer patients, survivors and families who are attending the walk to honor the memory of a family member or friend.
"It’s really good connecting with these people and seeing what they’ve been through and you really get a different aspect on life. It really makes you cherish every moment you have on this planet," Koch said. "Anytime we can put a smile on someone’s face, that’s always our goal, and anytime we can do that, we leave there with a huge smile on our face."
Rose said it is clear the team is no longer doing the event because he asked them to or because of his cancer history, but because they desire to.
"As they mature, just like any area of their life as we help them become men, they start to see the bigger picture of it, and all these people they interact with," Rose said. "You can definitely see them going from doing a community service event to doing something that is bigger than them and a way for them to give back to other people.”
To learn more about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk, visit http://www.lightthenight.org/alabama.
Follow Megginson on Twitter @jcmeggs. Email comments to megginsonjc@gmail.com.
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2017-18 Friday Features Archive
September 1 |
Mississippi College
September 8 |
Montevallo
September 15 |
Valdosta State
September 22 |
West Georgia
September 29 |
Alabama Huntsville
October 6 |
Union
October 13 |
West Alabama
October 20 |
West Florida
October 27 |
Delta State
November 3 |
Christian Brothers
November 10 |
Shorter
November 17 |
North Alabama
November 24 |
Lee
December 1 |
AUM
December 8 |
West Florida
Decemeber 15 |
Mississippi College
December 22 |
Lee
December 29 |
West Alabama
January 5 |
Valdosta State
January 12 |
Christian Brothers