Bellefonte's 'D.J. Emery Day' Features Ballgame, Birth Sun, Apr. 22, 2007 BELLEFONTE -- Saturday was a day of blue and white in State College, but in Bellefonte, it was a day of red, white and blue in support of Cpl. David "D.J." Emery Jr. and his family -- including newborn Carlee. Saturday was "D.J. Emery Day," as declared recently by Bellefonte Mayor Stanley Goldman, and it was marked by a baseball game in Emery's honor. And the community support was on top of news that came earlier in the day. "She had the baby," a volunteer said. "It's a girl." Leslie Shivery had delivered Carlee, a healthy baby girl weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces, at 11 a.m. Saturday, making her birthday on "D.J. Emery Day." Emery, a Marine who lost both his legs and suffered severe wounds in a suicide bombing in Anbar province, Iraq, is still recovering at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Community members showed up at noon Saturday to support Emery as the Bellefonte Red Raiders took on Somerset. The Red Raiders wanted to do what they could to honor Emery, who once played for the team, said head coach Denny Leathers. "He is one of our own," Leathers said. "This is something I wanted to do for D.J. and his young family." Leathers and the Bellefonte baseball boosters decided to host a fundraiser and tribute game for Emery's family in conjunction with community supporters. Since he was injured in February, supporters have rallied around the Emerys. Earlier this month, Emery's then-pregnant wife returned to Bellefonte from her husband's bedside to receive a new home in the Blarney Stone development, paid for by "An American Angel," a reality-television series about communities helping those in need. The Emerys are featured in the show's yet-to-be-aired pilot episode. Local donations helped furnish the home and pay for landscaping, but the family still faces untold medical and travel costs. A committee of community supporters is still hard at work to help cover those costs, said committee member Erin Gardner, who said news of the Emerys' circumstances hits home for her. "My husband is in the Army," Gardner said. "I think if something were to happen to him, I would want the community to support us." Gardner said she and her husband both graduated from Bellefonte, and it feels good to help out a local family in need. She and other supporters volunteered to staff booths at the game, selling baked goods, T-shirts, wristbands, raffle tickets for donated prizes from community businesses and chances to enter a home run derby after the game. Other community organizations pitched in, and the Bald Eagle life skills class provided the baked goods. For the home run derby, baseball players and alumni from Penns Valley and Bald Eagle Area signed up to slug it out with the Bellefonte players and alumni. While many of the visitors came to see the ballgame and support the Emerys, others were drawn simply by the chance to help out a military family in need. "I came out to purchase shirts to support him," said Susan Kramer, a Bellefonte resident who works for Haranin Construction. Kramer admitted she wasn't a follower of baseball, and she heard about the event through e-mails. "I'm a true believer in the troops and what they are doing," she said. Helping out at the booths was Eric Emery, D.J.'s brother, who graduated from Bellefonte last year. In a ceremony on the ballfield, Eric represented his family as he received a flag from the office of state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, and a framed copy of Goldman's proclamation declaring April 21 as "D.J. Emery Day." Bellefonte Borough Councilwoman Vana Dainty presented the items to Eric Emery after the Penn State Air Force ROTC Honor Guard took the field during the singing of the national anthem. "It's amazing," he said of Saturday's events. His brother "would have loved it. I would just like to thank everybody and anybody who came out to help D.J." |