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Magic of Michael Foundation helps Boys & Girls Club
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
Children and adults who visit the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown likely will notice the new plaque that shows a poignant encounter between a young man and a Major League Baseball umpire and draw added inspiration from it.
“Michael loved to make people laugh. He loved baseball, and he could walk into any room and put a smile on people’s faces,” said Erin Hirschbeck, referring to her brother, Michael, who died suddenly April 8, 2014, after having been diagnosed at age 5 with adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, a rare genetic disorder that damages or destroys the brain’s myelin sheath, which protects the nerve cells, and has no cure.
Michael, a 2006 Poland Seminary High School graduate, was 27.
In addition, John Hirschbeck Jr., Erin’s older brother, died in 1993 at age 8 from ALD.
Erin Hirschbeck is president of the Magic of Michael Foundation, named in honor of her late brother.
She and other foundation members were among those on hand Tuesday morning at the Boys & Girls Club, 2105 Oak Hill Ave., on the South Side, because the foundation dedicated and helped fund a room to act as a learning center for children who attend the club.
The 600-square-foot space also was in Michael’s memory, said Denise Hirschbeck of Poland, Erin and Michael’s mother.
Family members and friends established the foundation to inspire, empower and offer hope and financial assistance to many families in Northeast Ohio who are experiencing a variety of difficulties and challenges while carrying on Michael’s legacy, Erin noted.
The bright, well-lit room features a rear corner with chairs and colorful pillows for the youngsters to watch movies, read and socialize.
Other offerings include a mounted TV, a variety of educational games, a reading nook and ample seating, noted Germaine McAlpine, the club’s executive director.
“It’s an opportunity for kids to have a positive atmosphere and to grow,” said McAlpine, who’s affectionately known as “Mr. Mac.”
The plaque, hung near the room’s entrance, shows a serious-looking Michael Hirschbeck as a batboy during a Cleveland Indians home game at Progressive Field handing several balls to his father, John Hirschbeck, who is a 41-year umpire, including 32 years in MLB. The photograph also captures Michael’s love for the game, Denise said.
Among the youngsters on hand for Tuesday’s dedication ceremony who got to hold the plaque were Brooklyn Bandy, 7; Jordan Tutwiler, 8; and Mark Floyd, 9.
Despite his illness, Michael, who underwent a bone-marrow transplant at age 5, maintained a sense of humor and loved spending time on and off the field with MLB players, managers, coaches and umpires.
“Michael was a fun-loving jokester who could light up a room with his smile, but he was serious about baseball,” she added. “He basically lived and breathed baseball.”
The Hirschbecks attended the Boys & Girls Club’s annual fundraiser gala last November at The Lake Club in Poland and decided the South Side club would be a good organization to which to donate funds, explained Chris Muransky, president of the Boys & Girls Club’s Board of Directors.
“They’ve really done something great out of tragedy and handled it with grace and dignity,” Muransky said. “It’s great how they made something positive out of it.”
The Magic of Michael Foundation also will host the second annual Meet and Greet & Golf Outing, set for July 17 and 18 at The Lake Club, 1140 Paulin Road in Poland. Special guest will be Jim Leyland, former manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers.