Public Relations News Release

***This was a piece I put together as a news release for my PR class last term.***

LOCAL LITTLE LEAGUE TEAM GETS SCHILLER AS SPONSOR

Outfielder Magnus Lightwood Looks Forward to Defying the Odds

Schiller Community Hospital recently presented a local little-league team with a full sponsorship after the league was close to folding due to recent financial setbacks. With the help of the hospital, the inner-city youth organization can now remain intact. For centerfielder Magnus Lightwood, the sponsorship could not have come at a better time.

At age three, Lightwood was diagnosed with Brown-Sequard Syndrome – a condition in which a lesion in the spinal cord causes weakness on one side of the body and a loss of sensation on the opposite side of the body. Despite the struggles of learning how to cope with his syndrome, Lightwood enjoyed playing baseball. He used the sport as a way of learning how his body felt, and how he could move and use it in ways that allowed him to play the game he so adored. Within two years, it was clear that Lightwood was an outstanding player, so with his urging, his parents signed him up for the local tee ball league.

During his years in tee ball, his doctors and coaches encouraged Lightwood’s parents to allow him to continue to little-league when he reached the appropriate age. His parents heeded their advice and allowed him to join the local team, then called the Richmond Hill Hotshots. As expected, Lightwood continued to excel. At only nine years old, he caught the eye of Richmond Hill High School coaches, who looked forward to making him a Wildcat in the future.

When the news broke that the Hotshots were losing funding and the program would be terminated, Lightwood was devastated. He remembers fighting back tears and hoping for a miracle, any miracle, that would keep him from losing his beloved team. “Baseball had given me everything I had. It let me work through the discomfort in my body while doing something I loved,” he expressed.

As local papers picked up on the story of the team, Schiller Community Hospital’s Board of Directors knew they had to act. Not only was this team a part of their community, but Lightwood had also been a patient of theirs since he began his journey. With CEO Ingo Schiller stepping in as head coach, the team has been renamed the Schiller Slammers and will begin practice on April 23.

Lightwood’s gratitude toward the hospital for reaching out and supporting his team is monumental for him. “I was wondering how I could keep my body and brain healthy throughout my struggles without a team to play for; I was worried about the impact it would have on my syndrome,” said Lightwood. “Now I can breathe a sigh of relief and continue doing what I love.” said Lightwood.

Schiller Community Hospital is delighted to be helping Lightwood and the community. Schiller said, “The children maintain our wonderful community. We want to make sure that they continue to shine as a beacon of hope and love.”

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