The Shields take initiative to help foster kids find homes
The Major League Baseball season is over and while the big guns in the National League and the American League work their timetable to restructure their squads, the players are looking to add value to their time off field by tending
more to their families and personal missions.
With the free agency booming with activity recently, major ball clubs with the able resources have been moving in to strengthen their squads with either experience or young blood. The spring training session is scheduled to start
in the middle of February and before that takes a flight, ball stars are working to spend more time with their families and contribute back to the society.
James Shield of the Tampa Bay Rays is one to pursue those goals and while he’s making the right choices off field, he’s gone ahead to help care groups tasked with finding new homes for adopted children. James is one of the team’s
best right-hand pitchers and, while his contribution to the game for the ball club has been immense, his intention off the pitch has been to help out children who have been through the same kind of problems his wife had when she was young.
James grew up in a regular family, being the youngest son in the batch. He had two siblings and two brothers to give him the affection of a regular family. His wife, Ryane, on the other hand, wasn’t so fortunate. “I'm an only child
and my parents were never married,” she said. “So I always played the back and forth game. When I was about 15, my dad ended up taking off and I had to end up living with my aunt. So that's where I can empathize where foster kids are coming from. Not really
feeling comfortable in your own setting. And not having your own home or your own bedroom, that kind of stuff.”
She went on to comment on the adopted children who the Shields are working to help. “I can kind of get a sense about how they might feel,” Ryane said. “That doesn't even compare, because I still had parents. That's kind of why
I have such a big heart for these kids because I can kind of empathize with how they feel. And not having any family or anybody to call theirs just breaks my heart. So anything we can do to bring recognition to them.”
The Shields are working with the Heart Gallery of Tampa Bay and Eckerd Youth Alternatives in assistance f finding the perfect homes for destitute children.
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