Princeton NJ Family Feature Press Releases

The Community Comes Together To Enjoy a Night at Waterfront Park and Help a Local Veteran’s Family

A night of professional-caliber baseball, family fun and raising money for a worthy cause, “The Mercer County Game of the Decades”, will take place on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 7 pm at Mercer County Waterfront Park in Trenton, NJ – home of the Trenton Thunder.

The event is a fundraiser for the child of a local Iraq War veteran suffering from a fatal genetic condition.

Over 30 of the most talented athletes, including the best of the Mercer County’s High School All Stars and Colonial Valley Conference players, will be playing a twenty something vs. thirty something “battle of the ages.” It will truly be a night of entertainment and fun for the whole family, with good food, drink, face painting, games, temporary tattoos, and balloon animals.

Former Tampa Bay Devil Ray Player, Ryan Pandolfini, 34, who grew up with the child’s father, Ryan Daniels, in Hamilton, New Jersey, says. “When you have a chance to give back there is no option but to do it. That is why the other baseball players and I jumped at this opportunity. We're playing for a good cause that will hopefully one day save the lives of many children, and besides, us thirty-somethings want to prove that the torch has yet to be passed …  maybe you can try us again when we're in our forties!”  

This event was organized by a group of local citizens to help the family of Emma Rilee Daniels, born on July 20, 2009. Her father served in the Air Force in Afghanistan. . HEmma has a rare disease called Krabbe Leukodystrophy. The disease affects one in 100,000 births. Care for a child diagnosed with Krabbe can cost $700,000 annually. Krabbe Leukodystrophy was made famous by Hall of Fame quarterback, Jim Kelly, whose son, Hunter, died of the disease at age eight.

Emma’s friends and family are lobbying State Medical Boards to have Krabbe added to the list of genetic diseases for which infants in the Garden State are tested at birth. Such testing could save the lives of the equivalent of two kindergarten classes of New Jersey children per year.

Pam Bless, of ReMax Tri County, Emma’s great aunt, and one of the lead organizers of the event is “overwhelmed by the community’s outpouring of kindness to support this family. The real effort is to raise awareness and have mandated screening especially since treatment is available.”

Neil Paul, also of ReMax Tri County, but better known in this baseball crowd as ‘Neil the Umpire,’ says, “My fellow umpires and I are pleased to donate our time to such a worthy cause. The umpires are as curious as anyone as to the outcome of this game since we know all of the players from these past two decades. One thing is for sure; the caliber of this baseball game will be outstanding. May the best team win.”

Tickets to the Mercer County Game of the Decades are only $5 each and can be ordered by emailing emmadaniels.org@gmail.com. Gates open at 6 pm. Questions call Cheryl Daniels at 609-510-3764.