On the evening the 2009 World Series begins, I wanted to applaud a major leaguer who “did good” earlier today. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright this morning donated a sizeable amount of money to the Catch-A-Dream Foundation. More importantly, though, was that in doing so on ESPN’s Mike & Mike In the Morning radio show, the pesky right hander also raised awareness about a group that’s making a difference in kids’ lives.

Catch-A-Dream is among a growing group of non-profit organizations that are helping youth become exposed to the outdoors. CAD in particular grants fishing and hunting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Think of it as a Make-A-Wish Foundation for kids that want to hunt. In fact, it’s Make-A-Wish Foundation’s national policy of not granting wishes that involve firearms (or “any sport-shooting weapon”) that helped drive the creation of CAD.

I completely understand that Make-A-Wish does many terrific things for kids. For that I applaud the organization. However, I tend to think that if I would have been faced with an illness that carried with it the ability to take my life as a youth, my dream would have included chasing one of North America’s game animals. That Make-A-Wish wouldn’t be able to grant that wish for similar kids disappoints me greatly.

I learned of the policy nearly a decade ago and recall being infuriated. I remember sitting in a park with my future wife and laying out a plan to someday create a non-profit that does exactly what Catch-A-Dream is accomplishing. Ironically, its creation by the family and friends of Bruce Brady came within months of that conversation in the park.

Here is a link to learn more about the organization and even download its donation form.

One final note about CAD … many of you might also be aware of the organization thanks to the support it receives from Drury Outdoors. Their work should be commended as well.