Phillies Fan’s “Jortstop Night” Aim to Make Impact On and Off the Field
Last August at a Phillies game, “Jean’s Jeans” was born as a pack of chaotic fans decked out head to toe in jeans rallied around Jean Segura. People have been wondering where we have been this year, so I am excited to announce that Philadelphia’s denim-clad gang will return to Citizen Bank Park on August 12th.
Astute Phillie’s fans will ask what we will be doing with our namesake now playing ball in Miami. A snippet from our website describes it best.
Introducing “Jortstop Night”, our theme is the same but our mission is different. This year, we want to use the enthusiasm and passion of our group to raise money for a great cause. That is why we partnered with The V Foundation for cancer research to use our event as a way to raise money to help fight cancer.
Phillies new shortstop Trea Turner, and his wife Kristen, have a long history with the Jimmy V foundation. As NC State grads and a philanthropists in their own rights, we can think of no better way to welcome Philadelphias newest “Jortstop” and his family to the city while bringing back our fan-favorite theme.
Fan groups often make an impact on the game, cheering on their favorite players and getting some time on the big screen. Being a part of a group that will extend that impact off the field is something that I think is really special.
Just days after our debut last season, the wheels began to turn on how we can capture the energy and excitement again this year. Amid the planning and brainstorming, the idea of a fundraiser was brought up, and it was a resounding ‘yes!’ from everyone in the room. Then, when Trea signed with the Phillies, it was a no-brainer what we would fundraise for.
Jimmy V has always served as an inspiration to me personally ever since watching his 30-for-30 documentary and learning about his passion for sports and for loving every day of life. The Turner’s involvement with The V Foundation, paired with my personal admiration of Jim Valvano, was a perfect recipe for our event.
When I announced our event, the support was overwhelming. Selling out our tickets in days led to many calls to the Phillies ticket office to grow and grow our section. The community of friends and family we have is incredible. From spreading the word about our event to getting donations from local businesses to help us donate as much as possible.
We are incredibly hopeful that our passion and enthusiasm will be enough to capture the attention of social media and broadcasts to extend our reach even further. Everyone you see in the stands is already a proud donor and supporter. If you saw or heard about us and you ended up here, then we did our job successfully.
If you are able to support us financially, we would be incredibly appreciative, our link here: Jortstop Night Donordrive. If you can support by sharing our mission or this article you will have helped us move one step closer to our goal.
Cancer has impacted us all one way or another. Being able to come together with this group to raise money for life-changing research has made me incredibly proud. I have learned that the passion of Phillies fans spreads far beyond the diamond and that when we work together so much is possible. Together we will take one step closer to a cure, but there is still so much work to be done. So we will continue to work and follow the famed words of Jimmy V “Don’t Give Up… Don’t Ever Give Up”.
