Yankee legend Rizzuto known as big supporter of school for blind

Published: 2007-08-15

NEWARK, N.J. (CNS) -- Yankee legend Phil Rizzuto, who died Aug. 14 at age 89, will be remembered for many things, not the least of which will be the amount of money he raised for St. Joseph's School for the Blind in Jersey City, a private Catholic institution founded and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. He raised more than $2 million through his work organizing celebrity golf tournaments as well as through his own family's donations. As a result of Rizzuto's generous charity work, the school opened a new two-story, 75,000-square-foot facility in Jersey City Feb. 20. The school previously utilized facilities that had been in place since the 1920s. St. Joseph will hold its 17th annual golf outing Aug. 20, and it is expected the event will be dedicated to the Yankee great's memory and his work to support the school. A member of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame, Rizzuto was a five-time All-Star -- in 1942 and 1950-53. He later announced Yankee games for four decades.

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