Has anyone ever thought of buying a firetruck for their hometown? That is exactly what Nelson Cruz did.
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“It was definitely something to help the community there,” Cruz said. “I’ve heard that people who have an accident or have something happen have to go to another town. The hospital in my hometown isn’t very big, so they have to go an hour away to get to the hospital. Some people die sometimes because they don’t have transportation.”
—The town of San Francisco de Macoris in the Dominican Republic lacks adequate public safety equipment for it’s more than 240,000 residents. They have very few ambulances and no rugged pumper truck for their fire department. In 2012, this inspired then Texas Ranger and current Seattle Mariner slugger, Nelson Cruz to do something about it.
Cruz decided to leveraged his athletic success to do something about it by buying a fire truck:
“In my hometown we don’t have ambulances or firetrucks, so I decided to buy one,” Cruz explained. “It was yellow, so we had to paint it red.”
His generosity didn’t go unnoticed. American Medical Response, the company that provides ambulance service in Arlington, Texas, decided to match Cruz’s donation by chipping in a couple of ambulances. Arlington’s Fire Department helped find a truck that would fit the bill, and donated hoses and tools to go along with it.
In addition to Cruz’ donation, the Texas Rangers Baseball also made a contribution to assist towards the completion of the project.
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The fact that Cruz’s town doesn’t have enough equipment to tend to emergencies is truly a shame, and it’s great that he has decided to use his good fortune to help save lives. Due to Cruz’s generosity a number of people have gotten involved in this great cause.
It is not about doing it right alone, it is also about bring more people into it and doing it right together.
Cruz isn’t perfect. In 2013, he was suspended for 50 games for violating MLB’s PED policy. But he has returned this season with a vengeance, currently leading MLB in HR so far this season. But his work for the community has been a constant.
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The Good Men Project Sports’ Tuesday weekly feature, Doing It Right, highlights athletes who gives back and/or make a difference in our society.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
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