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Instead of spending the night at CHOP, NeMours, St. Christopher’s , or Temple Hospitals in Philadelphia the Phillies thought it would be fun to give some kids a change of scenery and invited them for a very special evening at Citizens Bank Park.  The once in a lifetime evening included some very special surprises for some well deserved kids and their families.

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The evening began with arrivals to Citizens Bank Park just after dark with lots of gear for an overnight stay.
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Then the boys were surprised with a video from new Phillies GM Matt Klentak. In his video message he asked all the boys to go to the Phillies clubhouse to sign “one day” Phillies contracts. (Making this his first official signing).

 

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The Phillies clubhouse is pretty amazing as you can see in the photo.
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The Phillies personalized a locker for each boy and had a brand new contract waiting for each guest.
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The lockers also contained “signing bonuses” in the form of Phillies gift packs.
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Of course, the local media could not resist the chance to talk to the new Phillies signees.
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After signing with the Phils for a day, it was time to hit the batting cages under the watchful eye of the Phillies Ballgirls.
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Then it was time for a little dinner.
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After dinner the boys had a surprise guest.
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The surprise guest was the Phillies Phanatic who put them through some Whip and Nae Nae conditioning drills. ( Gus Hoefling would have been impressed!)
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Finally, it was time for a movie and then bed time in the clubhouse.

The Clubhouse Sleepover is just one of the many, many charity efforts the Phillies undertake all year around.  Some of them make the news, some don’t, but in season and out, the Phillies are always doing something to give back to  our community.  More Info.

By: Tony Romeo / PHL17
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