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Moyers pitching in for kids

July 31, 2007

Erin Metcalf's story seemed headed for a happy ending, a teenager in need of a liver who found a donor and received a transplant.

But months later, when the Woodinville, Wash., teen started having back pains, doctors discovered that her liver cancer had spread.

''There was nothing they could do,'' recalled Jamie Moyer, the former Cubs pitcher who met Metcalf in 2000 while he was with the Seattle Mariners. ''She was a special person, and her wish was that children continued to be helped.''

The same goal defines the foundation Moyer, now with the Philadelphia Phillies, and his wife, Karen, started in 2000. It has grown into a multimillion-dollar non-profit that has provided $10 million in funding to more than 120 medical and social organizations helping children in distress.

They are establishing bereavement camps for children 6 to 17 who have lost a parent or sibling. The first ''Camp Erin'' was established in Seattle in 2002, and since then, seven others have started.

Their goal is to raise $10 million over the next five years to open a camp in every big-league city, including two next year in Chicago, where Moyer began his career in 1986.

''To have two in Chicago, where we started, is so exciting for us,'' Karen Moyer said. ''We've reached out to players and wives we know and have had great support, but what is really important is that we all recognize the need. When you don't deal with grief, there are issues that can arise later.''

The Social Security Administration estimates that 3 million children a year experience the death of an immediate family member, with as many as 29,000 in the Chicago area. A 1996 Harvard University study found that up to 19 percent suffer serious behavioral or psychological problems the first year and 21 percent the second year.

''What this is really about is educating people about the need,'' Jamie Moyer said of the camps, which mix counseling with traditional recreational activities. ''We try to help kids understand death is part of life, but we believe children shouldn't have to grieve alone or feel they are alone.''

Among the local players who have joined the effort are White Sox catcher Toby Hall and his wife, Kara, and Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and his wife, Sarah.

''It's awesome what they've accomplished with Camp Erin,'' Hall said. ''My wife and I got involved with the one in Tampa, and we're glad to be able to help.''