When Ricardo Bocanegra moved his Porto Fino Dental office to just behind the left-field fence of Hammond Stadium in 2006, the Fort Myers dentist did so knowing it would put him in view of his favorite childhood pastime of baseball.
Little did Bocanegra and his wife, Claribel Bocanegra, know the importance of the friendships and connections they would make with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox over the years.
Those friendships came in handy following Hurricane Maria, which on Sept. 20 of last year destroyed most of Puerto Rico, where the Bocanegras were born and raised.
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Claribel Bocanegra, her husband’s office manager and founder of the non-profit organization Hispanic American Doctors Association of Southwest Florida, enlisted the help of its 300 members in raising thousands of dollars to buy and transport emergency supplies to Puerto Rico after the hurricane.
She and her husband also reached out to their friends and clients on the Twins and Red Sox who hailed from Puerto Rico: outfielder Eddie Rosario, pitcher Jose Berrios and first baseman Kennys Vargas from the Twins and catcher Christian Vasquez from the Red Sox. Henry Ramos, a Los Angeles Dodgers minor league outfielder and former Red Sox prospect, also was involved in the project.
“The first project was humanitarian aid and relief,” Claribel Bocanegra said. That trip happened Oct. 8. She organized the shipment of about 15,000 pounds of medical supplies.
The Minnesota Twins donated the shipping costs of one of the containers. Local doctors and the ballplayers also donated time and money, Claribel Bocanegra said.
“Each doctor in our organization used their practices as dropping-off points for diapers, baby formula, food, clothes, you name it,” she said.
After the baseball season ended, the players had more time to help. As Christmas approached, the Bocanegras brainstormed another idea. With much of Puerto Rico still lacking electricity, they wanted a new effort of providing Christmas presents for Puerto Rican children.
That mission, known as Promesa de Reyes (“Promise of the Kings”) resulted in six containers full of a combined 300,000 pounds of toys and gifts for children, to be delivered by Jan. 6, known as “Three Kings Day,” which commemorates the day the three wise kings visited Jesus Christ after His birth.
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Ramos (Maunabo), Rosario (Guayama), Vargas (Canovanas) and Berrios and Vasquez (Bayamon) each come from different hometowns, meaning they were able to blanket much of the country in handing out these toys and gifts.
The Puerto Rican and other Latin American ballplayers from the Twins and Red Sox often head to the Bocanegras’ house during spring training for dinner. Vasquez considered them his second family.
“They called me to help them, and of course I would,” said Vasquez, who lost contact with his family in Puerto Rico for four days after the hurricane hit. “It means a lot man.”
“He has a special heart for children,” Claribel Bocanegra said of Vasquez, who has befriended their daughter, Isabella, who has a form of autism. “I knew he would say yes.”
Vasquez has a job in which he tries to bring joy to the paying Red Sox fans. But delivering toys to children of families recovering from a devastating storm meant even more to him, he said.
“There were a lot of kids smiling when we got there,” Vasquez said. “It meant more, of course, bringing toys to kids because their parents couldn’t afford them.”
Berrios said he was thrilled with the generosity of the Bocanegras.
“It’s something amazing to see a lot of people come together and help our country and make something positive happen in our country,” Berrios said. “It did a lot of damage to my hometown, Bayamon. A lot of things happened there. But everything is OK now.
“This was a lot bigger than just me. Being a player in the major leagues, a lot of players have other options for help, including the Minnesota Twins. It was great to have their help after the season.”
The Twins play the Cleveland Indians in a two-game, regular season series April 17-18 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. That game will serve as another way to give back to fans, Berrios said.
“It will be an amazing opportunity for myself and for the kids in Puerto Rico to be able to see two teams wearing Major League uniforms,” Berrios said. “It will be great for our friends and for our families. I think it’s going to be a great time.”
Connect with this reporter: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).