Wednesday, July 11, 2012

R.A. Dickey doesn't knuckle under

R.A. Dickey, left, and knuckleball mentor Charlie Hough.
AP photo via Yahoo.
New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has a lot to like about him, as this excellent Yahoo Sports profile suggests.

That includes several things that catch my eye.

First, per the headline, he didn't "knuckle under" to sexual abuse.

Second, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro!

Beyond that, though, he does a variety of charitable good. 

His main charity, and part of the reason he climbed Kilimanjaro, is Bombay Teen Challenge. The organization's goal is to rescue individuals and families from the throes of sexual slavery on the streets of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. Per the organization's website, Bombay Teen Challenge works to help women trapped in prostitution, their at-risk daughters and other vulnerable girls, street children and AIDS orphans, as well as child drug and alcohol addicts.


It's a reminder that a country like India, trying to advance and become more "developed," faces many challenges in front of it. Dickey's work may shine a light on other needs of India. 


It's also a reminder of the balance between trying to help people in America, whether through charity or through preservation of American jobs, and reaching out to another country.