Local Beneficiary Groups Include Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro LA, Volunteers of America Los Angeles, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Baby2Baby and Sports-Based Youth Development Organizations; Through “All-Star Legacy” Since 2020, More Than $6 Million Has Been Contributed To Address Homelessness, Sports-Based Youth Development and Education
June 29th, 2022
LOS ANGELES, CA – Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) today announced the 2022 All-Star Legacy initiative, which seeks to address equity gaps in sports-based youth development, education, homelessness and military veterans’ issues. Following this year’s Midsummer Classic, and in combination with the 2020 All-Star Legacy commitment, MLB, the Dodgers and LADF will have contributed more than $6 million to benefit nonprofit organizations and make an impact on the lives of individuals throughout Greater Los Angeles.
The 2022 All-Star Legacy effort will support students from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro LA, youth and coaches via sports-based youth development mentorship organizations, food and essential day-to-day needs of families through the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Baby2Baby, and homeless veterans through Volunteers of America Los Angeles. The various All-Star Legacy programs will be commemorated from Friday, July 15th through Monday, July 18th leading up to the 92nd MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. Since 1997, MLB and host All-Star Clubs have donated approximately $100 million through the All-Star Legacy initiative.
2022 All-Star Legacy Projects
- All-Star Scholarship, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles – Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the LADF will establish an All-Star Legacy scholarship fund that allows LADF to provide a $10,000 scholarship to 10 scholars in its inaugural year, and 75 additional scholarships in future years. The scholarship will support academic expenses at 2- or 4-year universities in Southern California and will be administered by the California Community Foundation. The inaugural scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors from the Boys & Girls Clubs Metro LA in the College Bound and Future Pathways programs. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America is the official charity of Major League Baseball, and MLB has supported Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 25 years.
- Weekend Essentials for Families – Through the All-Star Legacy initiative, MLB, LADF and the Dodgers will address root causes of homelessness by supporting an ongoing program to provide 4 million meals and 127,000 basic essential items for youth and families living in poverty. The program will support 3,000 students and their families who will receive these items weekly at 15 Los Angeles school locations during the 2022-2023 academic year. This program utilizes the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s Backpack Program, which alleviates hunger for children who rely on school meals. Funds will allow for the purchase of food that is nutritionally balanced and kid-friendly that will be sent home with students on Fridays, to provide meals for the weekend. The weekend kit also includes nutrition education and handouts for the children and their families that stress the importance of maintaining a balanced diet while facing food insecurity. Each student in the program will receive a Baby2Baby basic essentials kit to take home to their families that includes resources such as hygiene items, soap, and PPE supplies. The items will be packed by volunteers in cooperation with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Baby2Baby. Studies show 1 in 4 children in Los Angeles live in poverty and 1 in 5 Angelenos does not know where their next meal is coming from.
- Coach Mentorship, Recruitment, and Training in Low Income Communities – MLB, the Dodgers and LADF are making a multi-year investment in enhancing and expanding the quality of sports-based youth development programming in Los Angeles communities by supporting increased coaching mentorship roles as well as training and recruitment efforts. Through this effort, the goals are to: (a) expand paid coach mentor positions from 30 to 75 by 2025; (b) recruit 1,500 coaches by 2024; (c) train 1,500 coaches in trauma sensitive sports-based youth development practices by 2024; and (d) develop a first-of-its-kind coach playbook. Organizations that will be involved in these efforts include Up2Us Sports (coach mentor partner), Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport (curriculum and training partner), Positive Coaching Alliance (training and recruitment partner), Dodgers Training Academy (training partner). Studies show that 67% of youth have suffered at least one traumatic event by age 16, a number that increases for youth within low-income communities, thus underscoring the immediate need to provide quality, trauma-informed coaches who serve as adult mentors for these children. This project is also supported by Nike.
- Homeless Veterans through Volunteers of America Los Angeles – All-Star Legacy will support a renovation of the “Transition House” (T-House), a 20,000 square foot facility operating in Downtown LA (in the heart of Skid Row). As one of the few providers serving homeless veterans that have limited support, the T-House provides intensive wraparound services to successfully transition more than 80 individuals at a time. Each receives three meals a day and individualized services plans to ensure a successful transition to longer-term permanent supportive housing. Los Angeles is home to the largest concentration of homeless veterans in the country (appx. 6% of the more than 66,000 homeless individuals in the city). Clients at the T-House can stay anywhere from a month to two years, with support services including emergency shelter beds, individual case management, benefit referrals, life skill class, group therapy, and assistance with financial planning and budgeting. To improve the quality of life for T-House Veterans, this $500,000 renovation investment by MLB, the Dodgers and LADF will include a complete overhaul of the living quarters including installing privacy partitions, so each veteran has their own dedicated space with electrical outlets and improved beds. The project also will renovate and modernize the commercial kitchen, laundry facility, outdoor community space (which includes new BBQ stations and workout equipment) and will install a mural to beautify the property and create a more inviting environment for all residents and guests. The renovation of the main community room and dining area will also be renovated thanks to the generous support of the Justin Turner Foundation
Snapshot of 2020 All-Star Legacy Program
- Sports Based Youth Development: Four (4) Dodgers Dreamfields projects to improve the current playing conditions, grow the game of baseball and softball, and provide safe places for the community to play.
- Two (2) Dodgers Dreamfields at Lincoln Park Recreation Center – In June 2021, two field renovations were completed to give 8,171 youth access to this to these fields. 39,497 community members have access to this field (adults and youth).
- One (1) Dodgers Dreamfield Upgrade at Gilbert Lindsay Recreation Center – One field was renovated to provide 33,081 youth to have access to this field location. 110,750 community members have access to this field (adults and youth).
- One (1) Dodgers Dreamfield at William Mead Homes – In August 2021, one field renovation was completed to allow 2,993 youth to have access to this field location. 37,268 community members have access to this field (adults and youth).
- Education: In August 2021, the William Mead Boys and Girls Club Teen Center was completed as part of the 2020 ASG Legacy Projects. The project included an outdoor space for teens to safely gather.
- Veterans: MLB and the Dodgers provided cosmetic improvements to an existing outdoor gathering space at The Veterans Service Center, operated by Volunteers of America Los Angeles, which is the first point of contact for homeless veterans in Downtown LA.
The All-Star Legacy initiative – which also includes support of MLB national partners Jackie Robinson Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Stand Up To Cancer – will complement a full scope of All-Star Week community, youth and diversity & inclusion-focused programs and events that will be announced at a later date. Additional efforts will be inclusive of supporting military families, celebrating children with special needs, and environmental sustainability practices.
