Knocking Cancer Out of the Park

For Weston, fundraising for childhood cancer is personal

When 9-year-old Weston Moore received an assignment through the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program at his school, he wasn't sure what he should do. The assignment was to find a way to change others' lives for the better.

Weston's mom, Ashlie, had a few suggestions, but none of them felt right to Weston. Then he had an idea.

"My cousin Ellie had cancer two years ago," Weston said. "She had it for a long time. I wanted to solve that problem, and I wanted to use a home run derby to do it because I love baseball."

Once Weston decided on a cause to support, it was time to form a plan. Weston's family helped him rent a field and purchase supplies. Then they started spreading the word about the home run derby they named Knock Childhood Cancer Out of the Park.

"We made some posters and started off by putting them at a barber shop," Weston said. "We just kept showing people the posters, and that's how we got a lot of the kids to come. A lot of people signed up at the TAG program, too, and donated money."

Word spread quickly around the Moores' hometown of Burleson, Texas, and soon the buzz around the event had far surpassed their expectations. Heather Max, a friend of Ashlie's who lost her son Cooper to childhood cancer, got involved and helped spread the word, too.

"We thought it was going to be his baseball team and maybe his brother's team, maybe like 20 to 30 kids," Ashlie said. "We had 97 kids sign up, and 93 actually showed up to the event. A lot of parents reached out, people that we didn't know had experience with cancer at Cook Children's. A lot of people wanted to help."

Knock Childhood Cancer Out of the Park featured 7-, 9- and 11-year-old divisions, and even included a women's division so the whole family could participate. Many of the participants have played against each other competitively for years, but the Moore family was excited to see them come together to help out at the event. Weston's dad, Joey, said that the local baseball community in Burleson united to support the cause.

"The turnout was awesome," Joey said. "We didn't even open the floodgates to promote it. We had individuals reach out, and a lot of kids saw the flyers around town. We never even made a single Facebook post; most of it was support from our baseball community."

Weston and his family have been encouraged to make Knock Childhood Cancer Out of the Park an annual event. In 2022, the event raised $3,600 for our Hematology and Oncology Center and increased awareness for childhood cancer.

"Over 15,000 children and teenagers get cancer every year," Weston said. "Donations could save someone's life, and Cook Children's helps so many people."