CLEVELAND — One man’s project to share his wife’s example of hard work and success in athletics has led to a story he’s sharing with others and putting toward a cause.
For much of her life, Christine LaMar was a dedicated and talented softball player.
“She was a standout high school softball player and had a successful career in college,” said her husband, Andy.
Today, she’s a mother of two boys.
“Their mother was pretty successful at something because she worked hard,” Andy said. “She was dedicated, and if they work hard and they have a dream, that they can accomplish anything.”
He wanted to put this message into a children’s book, so as a gift he wrote “Christine’s Mighty Swing,” a story about hard work on and off the softball diamond.
“What they should look up to in an athlete, and people in general, is the amount of dedication and commitment that they have to what they love and are they a good person,” said Andy.
The story became popular among friends and colleagues, so Andy decided to publish it.
The book shows kids that there’s a place for everyone in sports.
“She’s a great role model for them, but there’s a lot of other female athletes that they can look up to and all children could look up to, and I thought that this book could just be a small way to share that,” said Andy.
The book has done well on Amazon and until May 31, all profits from the book sales will go to the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Andy said he’s not quitting his day job, but said he would love to continue to create more stories with positive messages for kids.
“I’m not a professional author by any means,” he said. “It was just a project that turn into something to help others, and I think that if we can identify other organizations and read a story that supports their message I would definitely want to do that.”
