New York ( CNN ) -- The 10 Haitian students from Sts . Joachim and Anne 's School in New York 's Queens Village boarded the yellow school bus thinking they were headed to the library on a special school trip . When they got off , however , it was n't at a library but at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx . It was the beginning of a day full of surprises . The children , ages 7 to 13 , are survivors of the catastrophic Haitian earthquake of January 2010 . Several of them lost friends and family and they themselves became refugees . They all have gone through trauma and have painful memories . But Wednesday was a day to put those memories aside , if even for a short while , and to enjoy a baseball game and other good times provided by the New York Yankees . Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter hustled up the dugout steps and greeted the kids , `` How you doing ? I 'm Derek Jeter . Nice to meet you . '' `` Young lady how are you ? '' asked Yankee manager Joe Girardi . The Yankees call this HOPE Week . It stands for Helping Others Preserve and Excel , an initiative in which the Yankees reach out to an individual , family or organization they think is `` worthy of recognition and support . '' This is the third year for the charity event . `` It 's an opportunity for us to give back , but in the long run , we 're the ones who are truly blessed by these people '' Girardi told CNN . The kids were treated to seeing the baseball superstars take their batting practice before the game . One of the children , Charles , got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch . After the game , first baseman Jorge Posada had the students race around the infield bases before they boarded a double-decker tour bus along with a few of the Yankees for a tour of the city . Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said of the kids on the tour , `` Being able to hang out with them going on a bus tour in New York City , I think is pretty cool and I 've never done it . The kids are excited , so we are excited . '' When the kids got to midtown Manhattan , everybody piled out of the bus and into the lobby of the Empire State Building for the ceremonial lighting of building , followed by a skyline view from the 86th floor observatory . Nine-year-old Frantz Blues summed it up pretty well when he said , `` New York is really , really big . '' From there it was onto a pizzeria , where Derek Jeter boarded the bus with some pies . He knew the kids were glad to see him , but not because of his 3,000-plus hits : `` It 's fun , but you know I think the kids are more happy with the pizza than me showing up . '' The children 's principal , Linda Freebes , acknowledged what the day meant for the youngsters : `` I 'm sure that they will treasure this memory forever . And all the unhappiness they had , this is a glimmer of sunshine and hope in their lives . ''
A group of Haitian children are surprised with a trip to a Yankee ball game . Hide Caption Afterward , team members take them on a tour of New York City .