Betances thrilled to share Thanksgiving spirit in NYC hometown

NEW YORK -- One thing can be said about former Major Leaguer Dellin Betances: He doesn’t forget where he came from. On Friday evening, Betances, a member of the Commissioner’s Ambassador Program, hosted a Thanksgiving drive at John F. Hylan Elementary school in Brooklyn in an effort to give back during the holiday season.

Betances was joined by a group of Brooklyn-based professionals including Phillies pitcher Jose Cuas, Angels infielder/outfielder Randy Flores and the school’s principal, Melvin Martinez, who was also Betances’ baseball coach at Grand Street Campus High School in Brooklyn in the early 2000s.

This event served the community in which Betances, Cuas and Flores grew up playing baseball and provided over 300 turkeys, canned foods and other items to local families. There were a lot of kids at the event and Betances hopes his presence will help them learn about giving back.

“Brooklyn is like my second home. I grew up in the lower east side of Manhattan, but I played high school baseball in Brooklyn. So being able to come back here means a lot,” Betances said. “I’ve been able to use my platform to inspire the younger generation. One day, if they can give back to the community, this is what this is all about.”

Betances’ son, Dellin Jr., was part of the young generation at the event. The five-year old was helping his father hand turkeys to families in need. Dellin wanted his son to realize that life is not always easy.

“He lives in a world now where everything comes easy. I want him to know that I grew up in this area. Not everybody gets everything or handed to them,” Betances said. “I want him to learn that you have to be able to give back, make people happy, especially when the holidays are coming up.”

Betances learned how to give back by playing for Martinez, who was always raising money and awareness for different things in Brooklyn. Martinez learned how to lend a helping hand by watching Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente.

“He helped me get drafted and become the player that I became,” Betances said about Martinez. “Now being able to come to his school and do something like [the Thanksgiving drive], it hits home for most of us.”

Martinez had a dream of becoming a baseball player but became an educator instead. He currently coaches a baseball team of teenagers, and they arrived at Friday’s event. Martinez wanted those teens to be community oriented and help somebody in need.

“[By seeing Dellin], I want the kids to stay humble," Martinez said. “If they become superstars, we want them to make sure they don’t forget where everything started.

“When [Betances] called me and said he wanted to do [the Thanksgiving drive], I actually broke down because to see this come full circle and give us the opportunity for this, there are no words to explain it.”