I wanna read a letter that I received from the players on
a middle school softball team in the Bronx, New York.
Dear Ellen, we want to tell you about this great man, who has not
only been a teacher and a coach, but a father, many of us do not have fathers and
we were lost before this amazing human stepped in and changed that.
He has two children of his own, but,
to him, every girl on the ladies' Tigers softball team is his daughter.
There was a time when we thought we we're losing him to stomach cancer but
he continued to fight for all of us, he is incredible and we want the whole world to
know what he does for all girls from the South Bronx, love, the Lady Tigers.
That's just one of the amazing letters we received about this guy.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> Chris >> [APPLAUSE]
>> Go on now and get players.
Before we start talking I want everyone to see more of your story.
>> Hi, my name is Chris Astacio I'm a PE teacher in the Tyler 1 South Bronx school.
I'm also the head coach of the Lady Tigers.
My first year, I knew the school was struggling.
It was very chaotic.
There were fights every day.
>> And the most brutal fights will amongst females.
And I realized they needed something to be proud about, they needed something to come
together with, and it just popped into my head, softball.
It was very hard in the beginning because I had girls that did not like each other.
And so instead of teaching softball I was teaching girls how to respect each other,
how to respect themselves, how to value themselves.
And it took awhile, but it slowly but surely became a family of sisters.
>> These girls inspire me every single day.
I love them.
These are my family.
This is my dad, that's my sisters.
>> When I see him, I see the father that I never had.
Just because he's not my father by blood doesn't mean I can't still love him,
and I can't still call him my dad.
>> In the beginning I kept on trying to quit, and quit, and quit.
And he wouldn't let me quit.
I think I just thought of myself so
much that I felt that I couldn't be happy.
A dad is someone that's there for me,
it meant a lot because he's not even my father.
I don't know what I would do without him.
>> I tell my girls, we're a family first, team second.
In 2009 I was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
I had laparoscopic surgery where they took a third of my stomach out.
I didn't think the pain was going to end.
>> And we just saw how strong he would stay for us.
He would always say that he was fine though we knew he wasn't.
>> I always tell these girls never quit.
Don't ever quit.
And what kind of example would I be if I quit?
I feel like I'm cancer free because of my family and my girls.
[MUSIC]
[APPLAUSE] >> I just want you to see that this is
not just about soccer.
This is about improving these girls' lives, giving them hope,
giving them something to live for.
Because they deserve it.
They deserve it.
[MUSIC]
>> [APPLAUSE] >> [APPLAUSE] What
an inspiring story that is.
And what made you decide that this was what your path is?
>> I'm sorry, I love these girls, that's first of all, I love these girls.
I had a sister who was similar to these girls.
She grew up in the Bronx and she made bad decisions, bad choices.
Ultimately, she passed away.
And she always use to tell me, you should become a teacher, should become a teacher.
And, when she died, that's when I made the decision to become a teacher.
And, [SOUND] I'm sorry.
>> No, it's very emotional, and we surprised you.
Your sister was 31 years old.
>> Yes.
>> And then not only, here's what I think is amazing,
because you said the girls were fighting.
They weren't getting along.
Nobody was really paying attention in school.
You made them focus on something that's not only good for
them in a healthy lifestyle, but it's changed everyone in the school, hasn't it?
They become role models for every girl in the school.
I mean every girl wants to be them.
In the beginning it was just a few girls who wanted to join softball, like seven.
This past year it was 60 girls wanting to join softball.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> It's transformation.
It's not only they transform the school, they transformed themselves.
In the beginning I saw girls that were very angry.
We wanted to give up, and four years,
three years later, these girls, they're leaders of their school.
I mean, they go outside in their community, people recognize them.
Those are those girls in the orange shirts.
>> How is he like a father?
Who were you saying is like a father and what way is he like a father?
What we mean by he's like a father, he shows you love that,
if you don't have a father, he's there for you.
The first that I ever came to the school, he showed me love and I felt like a very
special bond towards him, because I don't have a very big connection with my dad.
So he's kinda there for me.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> Who's Kylie and
Briana and Caroline.
Who's who?
>> I'm Kylie.
>> Kylie.
>> I'm Briana.
>> I'm Caroline.
>> And Briana, how is he like a dad to you?
To me it's not just like a father, well he's not like my father, he is my father.
Because, at a young age I lost my father.
I didn't have a connection with my father and just for someone like
Gustachio to come into my life and make such a big change it means so much to me.
>> I bet.
>> In so many ways.
>> I bet.
And how is he like a dad to you?
He is like a dad to me because I have a lot of problems at home,
it was my father so I had to move to New York for my mum.
So like I never had that type of relationship with my dad.
Like it was always fighting and cursing me out so
when I came to the school having him >> Caring, and
always checking on me would impact my life and yeah.
>> It's really amazing.
And, we have a lot of teachers and leaders in schools on the show, as you know.
And what you're doing is so important, because
these girls are telling us what their lives would have been like without you.
So the fact that you have made an impact,
the fact that you're battling cancer, the fact that you have helped these girls,
I know you're using your own money a lot of times with different things.
So Walmart has been an amazing partner this year with us, and, they love to help
people like you continue on helping and giving back to your community.
We're gonna give you this check for
20,000 dollars from Walmart.
>> [APPLAUSE]