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WINNEBAGO, Neb. -- New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain made a surprise visit today to the St. Augustine Mission School, passing out Christmas gifts and playing catch with the students.
Chamberlain, a former Nebraska baseball All-American and now a World Series champion, is an enrolled member of the Winnebago tribe. His father Harlan was reared on the northeast Nebraska reservation. The children of Chamberlain's first cousin are among the kindergarten-through-eighth-graders who attend St. Augustine.
"My family's here, my heart is here,'' Chamberlain told the students.
Father Dave Korth, director of St. Augustine, said the visit was a “thrill” for students.
Korth said Chamberlain is “a person who has achieved his dreams through hard work and determination.''
Chamberlain often cites his Winnebago heritage. For example, eighth-graders at a suburban New York City middle school got a surprise thank-you from Chamberlain last year for their charity work in donating books to the reservation. Signed Chamberlain baseball cards were tucked into their diplomas at graduation. The students hadn't known that Chamberlain was aware of their project.
About 120 students attend St. Augustine, founded 100 years ago. The school encourages students to embrace their heritage as Native Americans.
About 75 percent of the students are members of the Winnebago tribe, the remainder are from the Omaha tribe. Students are allowed to attend for a $150 fee, with charitable contributions providing the remainder of the school's annual $1.2 million budget, Korth said.
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