On the surface, it was just a dinner invitation -- Alpha Tavern co-owner Nick Sparachane welcoming pro baseball player Drew Maggi and members of his family to the restaurant to celebrate his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates after 13 years in the minor leagues. But that simple gesture was just the latest example of the lifetime of kindness lived by the Sparachane family.
Maggi's time with the Pirates was short, three games in all, but Sparachane was captivated by the infielder's tale of persistence and hard work.
"I just thought it was an amazing story of perseverance," Sparachane said. "I was proud of the fact he hung in there and proud of the fact he made the major leagues."
The Sparachane family has offered expressions of kindness both great and small for decades in the Ohio Valley. Nick and brother Anthony "Herk" Sparachane both have been named Italian American of the Year by the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival. The family's restaurant, Undo's, is the title sponsor of that festival.
The Sparachanes have donated time, money and resources to numerous causes in the Ohio Valley, following the lead of matriarch Jenny Sparachane and patriarch Anthony "Undo" Sparachane. Undo instilled that spirit of giving back -- in ways as large as donating $100,000 to the Debbie Green Memorial 5K or as small as making a child smile with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup while they were sitting in the family's restaurant.
The rest of the Sparachane family has worked to keep that spirit alive in its words and actions. The Ohio Valley is blessed to have so many good people in that family working to make life better for us all.
The Sparachanes have made our community a much better place to live. Thank you all.