iHeartSoCal

iHeartSoCal

The Best of SoCal - Southern California news, food, activities, events and more!Full Bio

 

How The LA Dodgers Foundation Is Making An Impact In Our Communities

Founded in 1995, the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2012, a group of investors, led by Mark Walter, purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers. Walter arrived with ambitions that were bigger than baseball; he wanted the team’s charity to grow — to reach all of Los Angeles — and become an example to other sports teams worldwide. Under this new ownership group, we have increased fundraising by 1,000% and invested more than $23 million in our programs and grants. More than 10,000 participate annually in our baseball and softball youth development program, Dodgers RBI, and we’ve completed 51 new Dreamfields citywide providing over 368,000 youth have access to a Dreamfield in their neighborhood. Our LA Reads program inspires thousands of young people to read more than 1 million minutes annually. Our college and career accelerator exposes first-generation students to the soft skills they need to succeed. And our new Science of Baseball curriculum for third- to fifth-graders gets kids excited about math and science. 

With the new ownership, we created the “Party for LA” the annual gala held at Dodger Stadium. In its fifth year, the Blue Diamond Gala surpassed a record $3 million in donations while more than 2,000 guests took part in a blue carpet, pre-show dinner party and two hours of entertainment featuring a benefit concert by world-renowned musicians. 

Our growth has enabled us to do more: Fund more college scholarships, more foster youth advocates, more eye screenings and glasses, and more after-school nutrition and play programs. Named ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, LADF is bigger than baseball with ambitions to be the city’s premier charity. Our focus is on Los Angeles’ most pressing problems: improving young Angelenos’ access to education, health care and sports. Under new leadership we have expanded our mission to include education, health care, homelessness, and youth development. To-date, we have invested more than $32 million in programs and grants to nonprofits, including $23 million in the last seven years alone. In our 25th year, we have awarded grants and in-kind donations to 106 community organizations; distributed over 478,000 meals; and provided over $2.2 million in in-kind donations to 6,000 families in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a continued push for social justice. 

There are so many ways to get involved and support what the LADF is doing around our community. You can donate money, donate your time, help fundraise, buy 50/50 raffle tickets at Dodger games and much more! Click here to find out how. 

Aired June 19, 2022: Lisa Foxx talked to Nichol Whiteman, Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. Nichol discussed the history of the organization and how the players and their families are dedicated to giving back and making a difference in our community. Through their hands on efforts, we are making great strides in neighborhoods and people in need. We talked about all the ways that WE can help and become part of the solution. Team up with the Dodgers and make a difference in Southern California


Join the conversation with Yappa

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content