Community
Jon Wilhite, the lone survivor of the April 9 car crash that killed Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart, Henry Pearson and Courtney Stewart, will be attending the A's vs. Angels game on Saturday, July 18, as a guest of A's catcher Kurt Suzuki and his wife Renee. Wilhite will throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game to Suzuki, his former teammate at Cal State Fullerton, during a special pre-game ceremony at 12:55 pm.
"Our hearts go out to all the families of those involved in this terrible tragedy," said Kurt. "My wife Renee and I are very close with Jon and his family and were devastated to hear about this horrific accident. As a professional athlete, I have the resources and opportunity to host these fundraisers and I only hope that the money raised will alleviate some of the cost that Jon and his family will be faced with during his long rehab process."
On May 1, Wilhite's medical status was upgraded to "fair" and he is currently undergoing speech, physical, and occupational therapy at a rehabilitation center in Southern California. All funds raised through the Suzuki's fundraising efforts will help pay for Wilhite's rehabilitation costs after recovering from injuries that included an operation on April 15 to reattach his skull and spinal column after a rare separation.
Over the past two months, the Suzukis have hosted a number of fundraisers to assist their good friend Wilhite, who is currently undergoing speech, physical, and occupational therapy as an outpatient at a rehabilitation center in Southern California. All funds raised through the Suzuki's fundraising efforts will help pay for Wilhite's rehabilitation costs. Wilhite continues to recover from injuries that required an April 15 operation to reattach his skull and spinal column after a rare separation.
During the A's vs. Angels games on Saturday and Sunday, Renee and other A's player's wives will sell "mystery" A's autographed baseballs from a table behind section 120. Over 300 baseballs autographed by both A's and Angels' players and hidden in paper bags, will be randomly selected by fans for a donation of $40 to the Wilhite Fund. In addition, during the Saturday game, all of the proceeds from the A's silent auction will benefit the Wilhite Fund, with the A's Community Fund matching the total money raised through the silent auction.
So far, the Suzukis have raised $26,500 for the Wilhite Recovery Fund through their efforts. Funds have been raised through a three-day silent auction at CSU Fullerton in May and through an on-line auction on the A's website during the month of June that raised $20,000 through the sale of new and game-used autographed memorabilia from players and coaches around Major League baseball. More items are still available on-line through the A's website.
Additional monetary donations can be made to the Wilhite Recovery Fund, account 3980643658, at any Wells Fargo Bank branch, or to a tax deductible account set up through Manhattan Beach Little League by mailing a check to: Manhattan Beach Little League, P.O. Box 3512, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, with "Wilhite Recovery Fund" on the memo line.
