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According to acquaintances, Christopher Gedraitis could captivate quite easily, which made the 30-year-old’s March 23, 2006 death from an undiagnosed heart condition a wrenching reminder of the brevity of life. Aware of the eternity of influence, though, they decided to honor the Whitman product, who used his love of sports to mentor many area competitors, by creating the nonprofit Friends of Beast, based on their loved one’s lifelong nickname. Continuing their crusade to complement his kindness, they united in Northern Liberties Saturday for their ninth annual Beast Day fundraising venture for youth athletics.
“He was such a compassionate, giving guy,” committee member Todd Burnside said at McFadden’s Irish Pub & Johnny Utah’s Saloon complex. “I knew him for more than a decade and loved witnessing how selfless he was.”
The Far Northeast inhabitant noted the native of the 300 block of Tree Street valued volunteering to transform children into champions on and off their respective playing surfaces. Heading into the weekend occasion, he and his peers had raised approximately $150,000 for Philadelphia and South Jersey youngsters, with local entities such as the Two Street Warriors Catholic Youth Organization, the Edward O’Malley Athletic Association and Burke Playground benefiting.
“Every occasion we have had has reinforced what was at the heart of what he loved, which was contributing to the community,” Burnside said as guests, adjacent to a banner bearing Gedraitis’ image, purchased chances for auction items. “I know we’re all better people for having had him in our lives no matter how well or for how long we knew him.”
The inaugural celebration occurred nine months after the young man’s passing, with the first few gatherings proving rather informal. Realizing the growth of the mission, Burnside and others elected to establish a nonprofit, with the since-shuttered Finnegan’s Wake as the predecessor to McFadden’s. Whereas the early functions possessed a somewhat solemn and somber quality, recent affairs have become more celebratory and abounding in recollections of how the fallen figure gregariously gave of himself.
“Being together can maybe bring back the pain of losing him, but the turnout makes us feel better,” sister-in-law Karen Gedraitis said of commending his advocacy for local athletes’ immersion into their sports and acceptance of responsibility. “He’s been gone for nearly nine years, so it’s wonderful to see that he still means so much to so many people.”
The denizen of the 2100 block of South Howard Street tabbed the honoree a friend who felt that giving to others helped him to feel stronger about himself.
“He had a great personality,” she said, noting that he became the third member of his clan to carry the “Beast” moniker, following his father and brother, the latter being her husband. “It takes away a bit of the sting of not having him here, though we’d rather be making new memories with him, that’s for sure.”
As admirers of Christopher Gedraitis’ altruistic feats exchanged stories, Burnside, who shared a home with the difference maker in North Wildwood, elaborated on the expansion of Friends of Beast, with 2015 as a potentially huge year.
“It’s vitally important to help kids to gain more exposure to sports and to have so many people who think the same way here tonight is so rewarding,” he said of the crowd, which he hoped would surpass 400 by the end of the four-hour festivities, which included the talents of local musicians. “This gives us a sense of how many lives we can inspire because Chris wanted to help as many people as he could. That was one of his gifts.”
In being benefactors, too, he and his colleagues, who in a release stated “Beast was fiercely loyal to his friends, co-workers and his neighborhood,” have loved helping Keystone and Garden State inhabitants, endowing able-bodied and disabled children with equal opportunities to mature as athletes and future leaders. Burnside stated that although Gedraitis loved baseball and hockey, the organization has not limited its scope in touching lives, especially given that his friend played football at St. John Neumann High School, formerly 2600 Moore St.
“My immediate impression is that he was a guy who was a pleasure to be around because he was always in a good mood,” attendee Tim Cairy said.
The resident of the 2800 block of South 17th Street spent two years as a teammate to Gedraitis and garnered many examples of his polite nature, including his offering assistance to Cairy’s father, the equipment overseer for the Pirates’ gridiron club, in lining McNichol Field. Making his third appearance at Beast Day, Cairy, invoking guest and committee person Dan Stevenson, a 2013 South Philly Review Difference Maker and resident of the 1900 block of South Second Street, said the evening celebration definitely matched the scope of what Gedraitis would have wanted to generate money for the next generations of accomplished athletes. That his friend served as the inspiration for the fundraiser meant much to Cairy in that the night proved how valuable everyone still deems Beast’s gentle personality but also gave him a hint of sadness in that his acquaintance had his influential life cut way too short with so many youths in need of support.
“That’s where we have to step up,” the Marconi inhabitant said. “It’s a wonderful cause that’s going to continue to inspire.”
“We are starting to branch out more,” Burnside said, revealing the organization will hold a Neshaminy-situated event next month. “Chris made us proud. We’re just looking to keep his sense of sacrifice going strong.”
For more information, visit facebook.com/pages/Beast-Day-Friends-of-Beast/367888373239127.
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
