Marlins in the community: Kids' health, veteran, RBI softball

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter_, click here. _And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Last Friday, the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) teamed up with the PLAY campaign at loanDepot park to promote the importance of children living healthy lifestyles and disability inclusion. In 2014, the PLAY Campaign became the first program in professional sports to include children with disabilities, partnering with the National Down Syndrome Society in 2017 to enhance this effort. It has conducted more than 400 events inside all 30 Major League ballparks.

Members of the Marlins' athletic training staff, the Taylor Hooton Foundation, the Henry Schein Cares Foundation to Educate Area Youth and players from the Police Athletic League’s summer camp in Miami participated in the event.

• The Marlins and Brightline teamed up to celebrate World War II veteran Carmin Yannotta's 98th birthday on Sunday. He and his family traveled on the train from West Palm Beach to loanDepot park, where he was recognized as the Hero of the Game presented by CITY Furniture. Yannotta served in the Army as a combat engineer under Gen. George Patton.

• Last week, the Marlins girls softball team had a great run at the 2022 RBI World Series at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla.