Students at I.S. 218/Salome Urena Middle Academies will be talking about this day for a long time to come. The Washington Heights neighborhood community school and Boys & Girls Club had some very special guests visit on Tuesday afternoon.

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his wife, Cynthia, came to present a $200,000 check to the Children's Aid Society's (CAS) school-based mental-health services program, of which I.S. 218 takes part. The CAS offers various children's health and social services at 13 schools in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island.

"I was born in Washington Heights, so it was a very natural fit," said Rodriguez. "I think psychological therapy is something that's very important and very overlooked. I use it as an adult, and I encourage kids of all ages to use it."

Rodriguez said that he uses therapists in many areas -- in baseball, and to help him stay balanced in life and in marriage.

The Rodriguezes, concerned about the welfare of children in Washington Heights, wanted to support the CAS Health Centers because they provide help to many students in this neighborhood.

"It's my community. It's an opportunity to help children," said Rodriguez. "Along with all the financial rewards that I've received over the last seven years, I've really enjoyed giving back to the community."

The CAS has developed Health Centers at four Boys & Girls Clubs -- at I.S. 218, I.S. 90, P.S. 8 and P.S. 5 -- in Washington Heights, and at P.S. 50 in East Harlem. These school centers, which provide comprehensive health care and social work services to children, were developed to address the health care and psychosocial needs of elementary and middle school students in these neighborhoods.

"I think it's a wonderful program," said Rodriguez. "I think a lot of times, people are ashamed if they have therapy. I don't think anybody should feel ashamed. Therapy is a great thing, it's something that can take you to the next level. I use it now, I'm an advocate about it, I believe in it, and to this day I do it."

Rodriguez and his wife, who holds a master's degree in psychology, plan to pursue mental wellness as their lifelong philanthropic endeavor.

"We are ecstatic," said Rosa Bautista, the Community School Director for the CAS at I.S. 218. "One of the challenges we have is that mental health services are the ones that receive the least funding from other sources, so this is very helpful."

Washington Heights is a predominantly Dominican neighborhood, with many immigrants and many single-parent households. According to Bautista, the CAS' programs help the students adjust to the new environment and culture.

The students were excited to see Rodriguez, who himself is of Dominican descent.

"I think he's the best player ever," said 12-year-old Juan Liriano.

"I was happy and excited, because he's from the Dominican Republic and my family is from there," said 13-year-old Janilssa Quezada. "I love the Yankees."

Rodriguez is also an active supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs, and participated at a club as a youngster growing up in Miami. He serves as a national spokesman and appears in the organization's bilingual PSA campaign, and recently founded the Alex Rodriguez Learning Center in Miami.

He took time to talk with the I.S. 218 students after the check presentation, answering questions about his life as a baseball player, coming up to the Major Leagues and what it's like to be a Yankee.

The kids asked if he ever had anyone doubt his abilities growing up.

"Everyone doubted me," he said. "In life, you're always going to have people that doubt you. There's going to be obstacles along the way. If I listened to every person that told me, 'You're not going to be Major League baseball player,' I would have never been here. I just got up earlier, worked harder, got my grades, and here I am. You can do it ... and I believe in you." http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASAp...=.jsp&c_id=nyy