Surprise from St. Louis

Challenger Sports, a league for people with disabilities where everyone gets to play, helped one of its own in a time of need after Hurricane Harvey. Heather Jo Thomas (pictured, center, holding the baseball), an avid sports fan and collector of memorabilia, lost not only her home and handicap-accessible van, but also her prized sports possessions. Heather Jo has played on the West U Little League Challenger Cardinals team and with Challenger football and basketball since 2006. Cindy Berg, a St. Louis designer, came to the rescue. She decorated and furnished bedrooms for Heather Jo and her grandparents/guardians, Fredia and Jo Bassham, in their new home and also arrived with an autographed jersey and baseball from St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Trevor Rosenthal. At a surprise celebration at the West U Rec Center, the jersey and ball were presented while Rosenthal joined the fun via FaceTime. Hall of Fame hometown hero Craig Biggio also gave Heather Jo an autographed ball for her collection.

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