Dad whose son died in drowning goes to 30 MLB games in 30 days to raise awareness
By Barry Pintar
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A father whose son drowned in a pool is taking his story on the road in hopes he can stop the tragedy from happening to others. He was at the Pirates game on Monday to raise awareness about preventable drownings.
Jonathan St. Clair is going to 30 ballparks and 30 games in 30 days to not only honor his young son who showed an early interest in baseball, but also to raise awareness about preventable drownings. His son Jasper drowned in an ungated pool when a trusted babysitter looked away for just a moment.
“Jasper never got to play baseball,” St. Clair said. “He was 21 months old. When this happened, it was March 19, and opening day was only two weeks away. And we had plans to go to the [Los Angeles] Angels game, because we live 3 miles from Angel Stadium. And that never happened. I, in fact, spent the next week in the hospital, watching him pass.”
St. Clair stopped by the Pirates game on Monday night. It was stop No. 11.
“It’s been fantastic,” St. Clair said. “I mean, the reception I’ve had at every stadium so far has just been amazing. Every fan I run into has just been amazing. It has just been really an amazing trip so far.”
St. Clair created The Wave Maker Tour foundation to continue this work. He hopes to raise $662,000 — $1,000 for each day that his son lived. All the money goes toward drowning prevention awareness programs.
“They’re interested in why I’m doing it, which is to raise awareness, spread the word about putting your kids in swim lessons early, being able to put a barrier around your pool, wear a life jacket on a boat, those kind of things,” St. Clair said.
If you would like to donate to St. Clair, visit The Wave Maker Tour’s website.
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