Dennis Eckersley and Jim Rice Pitch in for The Home

Dennis Eckersley and Jim Rice Pitch in for The Home
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Signed baseball "masterpieces" created by local youth will be auctioned at Voices & Visions gala

BOSTON, MA — MLB Hall of Famers and NESN Studio Analysts Dennis Eckersley and Jim Rice made the afternoon of May 19, 2009 memorable for three aspiring young artists from The Home for Little Wanderers.

Rice and Eckersley met the youth at the NESN stage on Yawkey Way, outside Fenway Park, to take photos and sign paper mache baseballs that they created as part of The Home’s Voices & Visions art program.

One young artist was still on cloud-nine hours after the meet-and-greet, saying “Can you believe what just happened? I can’t believe we just met two Hall of Fame baseball players!”

The signed paper mache baseballs and other artwork will be sold to benefit at-risk youth and their families at the organization’s upcoming Voices & Visions gala on May 27th. This year’s gala and art exhibit spotlight sports, politics, cuisine, and community helpers as part of the event theme: “The Landscapes of Massachusetts.”

The Voices & Visions exhibit features artwork by children in The Home’s residential facilities. Their masterpieces are created through a year-long innovative art project which strives to teach positive ways of self expression and is very therapeutic for children with emotional and behavioral challenges. The children share their many emotions and a piece of themselves in each creation.

The May 27th Voices & Visions fundraising gala will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center.