By Bill Koch
Enquirer staff reporter

As far as Tim Naehring is concerned, there's no debate on whether athletes are role models. "Whether some of these athletes want to realize it or not, you are a role model," Naehring said.

"It's an obligation of ours. It's not something you can say you want to be or not want to be."

GOOD SPORTS

• Making a difference • Cris Collinsworth • Danny Graves • Bob Huggins • Marvin Lewis • Anthony Muñoz • Tim Naehring • Doug Pelfrey • Sean Casey • Willie Anderson

Naehring, the Reds director of player development, is the founder of Athletes Reaching Out, which he established in 1996 while he was still playing for the Boston Red Sox.

The goal of ARO is "to encourage and assist athletes with all aspects of community service activities" with an emphasis on helping children.

Naehring said he realized early during his injury-shortened career with the Red Sox from 1990-97 that his position as a professional athlete provided him with an opportunity to help others.

"You get asked to do a lot of different things," Naehring said. "You're made very aware quickly that some of your time and effort should be spent giving back to the community."

After getting involved in charity work in Boston, he and some of his fellow athletes began to wonder how much of the money they were helping to raise was actually going to the people it was supposed to reach and how much was going back into administrative costs.

That's when Naehring decided to found ARO.

"Athletes were pumped up to know they would not only be involved in things on the front end, but would have a voice in how the money was spent," Naehring said.

ARO and Naehring are best known for the construction of Little Fenway Park along Interstate 74 in Miamitown, but the organization has provided assistance to hundreds of organizations ranging from local high schools to Children's Hospital Medical Center.

One thing that has motivated him is a relationship he established while playing for the Red Sox with an 11-year-old boy who had cancer.

The boy so idolized Naehring that he wore his uniform number on his Little League jersey.

Naehring talked to him on the phone a few times and sent him a bat and some autographed cards, but the youngster passed away before Naehring had the chance to meet him in person.

They buried the child with the bat Naehring gave him and his Little League uniform.

"It puts your career and life in perspective," Naehring said, "when you realize you may have helped this particular person out the last few days of his life.

"Those type of situations are very difficult to be a part of. I can't even fathom what it's like to go through as a family member. If we as athletes can provide a little bit of hope or shed a little light, I can't imagine why an athlete wouldn't take on that responsibility."