Patience is a Virtue: Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp Joins the Cause to Prevent Curable Blindness
Last March, Oakland Athletics second baseman and outfielder Tony Kemp announced his commitment to support HCP Cureblindness throughout the 2023 Major League Baseball Season. To thank him for his contribution in person, several members of HCP’s leadership team attended the April 30th game and CEO K-T Overbey even had the honor of throwing the opening pitch!
Baseball is a sport that requires a keen eye.
Catching and hitting a fast-moving ball, seeing the catcher’s hand signs, the subtle body language of the base runners, all require fine-tuned awareness as well as great distance vision.
Recently, famed Oakland Athletics second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp recognized how those of us with such good vision can sometimes take it for granted.
A few years ago, Kemp’s wife, Michelle, sought LASIK surgery for her worsening eyesight. But when she received a consultation, Michelle was told that it was too late. Seeing the day-to-day inconveniences poor vision caused his wife, Tony began researching ways that he could help address preventable vision loss. And that’s when he found HCP Cureblindness.
Patience is a Virtue
A long-time supporter of causes like environmental activism and racial and social justice, Kemp has frequently been recognized for his work. Most notably, he has been nominated three times for MLB’s prestigious Roberto Clemente Award: an annual award which honors players for their positive contributions both on and off the field.
After learning that more than 70 million people globally suffer from preventable blindness (such as that caused by cataract or corneal damage), Tony decided he wanted to do what he could to help.
Acknowledging that he can be quite patient at the plate, Tony decided to donate $100 for each walk he records throughout the 2023 Major League Baseball Season. For non-baseball fans, a “walk” occurs when a pitcher throws four pitches out of the strike zone and the player at bat does not take a swing. The batter is then awarded first base. Having led the Oakland A’s in walks for the past three years, Tony realized that in this case, his patience could quite literally be a virtue.
“Tony Kemp is a changemaker – both on and off the field – and we are thrilled to have his support for our mission,” said Jeff Wallace, Chief Marketing Officer of HCP Cureblindness. “At HCP, we envision a world where no person is needlessly blind, and all people have local access to high-quality healthcare – and together we’re working to make that vision a reality.”
Several members of HCP’s leadership team had an opportunity to meet Tony at the A’s game on April 30th to thank him for his support. As the Non-profit Partner of the Game, HCP’s CEO K-T Overbey had the honor of throwing the first pitch of the game!
Fans and supporters are encouraged to visit cureblindness.org/tony to join Tony and contribute to the cause themselves.
