NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Baseball hall of famer David Ortiz was in Newton Monday alongside a group of other stars as he hosted the third annual David Ortiz Boston Heart Classic.
The group took to the green at Brae Burn Country Club for the event, which raised money to provide life-saving heart surgeries and care for children in New England and in the Dominican Republic.
A father himself, Ortiz said the cause hits close to home.
“I can’t imagine when you have a sick child and you don’t have the financial stability to provide to save your kids,” he said.
Boston sports stars including Ortiz’ former teammate and World Series champion Tim Wakefield hit the green.
Former Bruin and Stanley Cup champion Tuukka Rask was also in attendance.
“I’m just so proud to be here and be a friend of David’s and give back to the community that he played in and I played in,” Wakefield said.
“It’s a great cause,” Rask added. “It’s close to home, so couldn’t be better.”
To date, the David Ortiz Children’s Fund has helped more than 13,000 children and provided over 13,000 lifesaving cardiac surgeries.
Speaking on Monday, Ortiz said the lifesaving work he’s been able to support is his proudest achievement.
“To me, I feel like they are my biggest home runs because giving back to the community and being able to help children is something that, to me, it goes beyond,” he said.
Monday’s event raised more than $600,000.
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