By Robert Heuer
Two years ago, while watching the Florida Marlins win the World Series on television at a friend’s condo in suburban Miami, Sosa met Mexican-American attorney Art Sandoval. He mentioned his troubles managing the building in San Pedro de Macoris. And at the ballplayers’ request, Sandoval visited the city; he saw there weren’t many businesses that could afford the $250 monthly rent. “There wasn’t a market for the Plaza,” Sosa says.
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Then last summer, as Sosa and Mark McGwire’s home-run derby captivated the world, Hurricane Georges swept through the Caribbean islands. In the Dominican Republic several hundred people were killed and 100,000 were left homeless. A stunned Sosa gracefully turned his daily media sessions into a publicity machine to illuminate the plight of his homeland. Buoyed by a half million dollars in donations from Sammy’s fans in the U.S., the foundation arranged the delivery of 80,000 pounds of emergency foodstuffs and 25,000 pounds of medicine. The foundation has also shipped donated food and clothing.
To make a tax-deductible contribution to the clinic, send checks to the Sammy Sosa Foundation, 17901 NW Fifth Street, Suite 201, Pembroke Pines, FL 33029, or call 954-442-8810.
