Rizzo gives back for his birthday, hosts kids at FAO Schwarz
Joe Trezza
NEW YORK — Anthony Rizzo turned 35 on Aug. 8, but he’s not too old to celebrate his birthday in a toy store. Still, he wasn’t expecting the crowd in Rockefeller Center to start singing — because he was there at FAO Schwarz to celebrate them. When the group of 65 children — all pediatric cancer patients — from 22 families serenaded Rizzo with a surprise rendition of “Happy Birthday” anyway, it added a heartwarming twist to a morning that was already unforgettable.
“I love seeing all the smiles on the families’ faces to be able to come together like this,” said Rizzo, sporting a cheek-to-cheek smile himself. “I wish I was able to do something like this when I was a kid.”
The crowd was at the legendary toy store that morning at the invitation of Rizzo’s Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, which provides direct financial and emotional support to children and their families who are battling cancer. The issue is close to Rizzo’s heart. He survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a teenage prospect in the Red Sox system before making his Major League debut with the Padres in 2011. The Rizzo Family Foundation has raised millions for the cause since its founding in 2012.
“The goal is really to never leave a family to decide if they have to pay their bills or pay for their child’s healthcare or save their child’s life,” Rizzo said. “We try to step in and help them financially any way we can, so they don’t have to make those hard decisions. Because they’re already going through a hard enough time. And then to bring families out and get them away from reality a little bit, to escape the ins and outs of what they have to go through with the cancer treatment.”
Their third FAO Schwarz event was a resounding success. Rizzo provided breakfast at the toy store before surprising each family with a $1,000 shopping spree. Each child also received an FAO experience of their choice, options including a face painter, a balloon artist and a magician. After breakfast, Rizzo counted down from three to kick off a three-minute candy run, encouraging every kid to grab as much of their favorite sugary treat as they could. He also shopped with each family and shared his story of beating cancer.
“Baseball is the easy part, life is hard,” Rizzo said. “Life throws you different curveballs all the time. Everyone is dealing with something personal that a few people know about. You have to try to enjoy it and spread a positive message because you never know what anyone is going through in life.”
Asked what his favorite part of a day like that is, Rizzo said: “To see everyone out of their norm, especially some kids who have been going through their treatment for a couple of years. To be able to come here and just be a kid, and to have a run at the whole store by themselves is so cool.
“It’s really cool for us to be a part of their journey in the little way that we can help.”
