Rob Belanger and Chris Federico have something painful in common. Both lost a parent way too soon. Rob?s father, Mark “The Blade” Belanger, was an eight-time Gold Glove winner as a shortstop for the Orioles during their glory days of the late 1960s and ?70s, but he passed way in 1998 from lung cancer. Chris? mother, Susannah, was a loving parent of seven, who died in 1995 after a valiant year long battle with leukemia.

In their memories, the Belanger-Federico Foundation was established in 2004 to raise money for cancer research. And through its “Cool Kids Campaign,” many beneficial services have been provided to pediatric oncology patients.