Last Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs, along with Emma Hendricks (wife of Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks) and Lindsay Hawkins (wife of Cubs General Manager Carter Hawkins) hosted a shelter animal adoption event at Gallagher Way with PAWS Chicago.
Three puppies were adopted at the sun-drenched event on the green plaza just outside Wrigley Field, ahead of the Cubs loss to the Atlanta Braves that evening.
(photo credit: pics 1-4: Chicago Cubs)
Attendees included Cubs President Jed Hoyer, GM Carter Hawkins, Nico Hoerner, Adbert Alzolay, Drew Smyly, Ben Brown, Mike Tauchman, Javier Assad and Yency Almonte.
Lindsay Hawkins worked with an animal shelter in Cleveland when Carter was with the Indians/Guardians. After they moved to Chicago, Lindsay heard about PAWS and took a tour of the facility.
On a trip to Pittsburgh last summer, she happened to be seated in front of Emma Hendricks on the plane.
“So I struck up a conversation and we talked about our mutual love of Paws,” Hawkins told me last week, “and said wouldn’t it be great if we could team up for an adoptions event with the Cubs wives and PAWS.
“And she didn’t even hesitate to say yes, let’s do it.”
Over the years, the Hawkins have adopted and fostered several animals. They currently have a 13-year-old calico cat named Sadie, which she adopted in her home town of Nashville.
Wednesday marked the second event that the Cubs and PAWS have teamed up for.
Hawkins summarized the results of that first event:
(photo credit on pics 5-8 The Sports Bank)
“five of the six dogs went to a new home, including my next door neighbor.”
Prior to that event, former Cubs centerfielder Albert Almora graced the cover of PAWS Chicago magazine, as a formal recognition of his noble efforts volunteering with the animal shelter.
And the partnership between the Cubs and PAWS continues to grow.
Said Heather Way Kitzes, Cubs Director of Community and Government Affairs:
“Last year we sponsored Fur Ball, which is the big gala fund-raiser that they have every year, and this year Lindsay and Carter Hawkins are the voluntary chairs of the event, so we’ll be back there this year.”
For more information on the puppy adoption event and/or to start the process of finding your next best friend, visit pawschicago.org.
The Cubs take on the Milwaukee Brewers later tonight, with first pitch coming at 6:40 central. They currently trail the first place Brewers by 3.5 games in the standings.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.