news-record.com

ELON — When Mike Melillo decided to start a fundraiser to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti, he built it around something he knows well — college baseball.

Melillo, a catcher for Elon University’s team, set up “Pinch Hit for Haiti,” challenging NCAA teams across the country and their fans to donate to the Red Cross.
 

“As a human being, I felt a need to make an impact,” after seeing news coverage of the injured and homeless Haitians, he said.
 

Two days after the earthquake he began trying to make contact with about 500 baseball teams in the Division I, II and III programs. By Tuesday afternoon, players and their fans already had donated $6,000.
 

“I’m excited to see what happens over the next few days,” said Melillo, a 22-year-old finance major from Annandale, N.J.
 

His teammates are helping by spreading the word through e-mails, phone calls and online social networking sites.
 

As part of the fundraiser, Melillo is keeping track of how much money each team raises. The Elon Phoenix had the lead in the first few days of fundraising. For information on donating to the Red Cross in the name of “Pinch Hit for Haiti,” go to www.elon.edu/e-web/athletics/pinchitforhaiti.xhtml
 

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at 373-7088 or jamie.kennedy @news-record.com.