MAYOR WALSH, BOSTON RED SOX ANNOUNCE FOUR BATTING CAGES TO BE
INSTALLED THROUGHOUT BOSTON
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BOSTON - Wednesday,
January 25, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Red Sox Foundation
today announced that four indoor batting cages will be installed in 2017 at
Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) locations throughout the City of
Boston. The batting cage installation is made possible by a grant from the
Youth Development Foundation, an organization set up in 2015 by Major League
Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) to
improve the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and
softball programs across the United States and Canada.
"Baseball isn't
just a sport - it's a passion for so many Boston residents and children, and
this grant will allow young people throughout our City to improve their
baseball game in a welcoming, accessible environment," said Mayor Walsh.
"I'm grateful to our Red Sox Foundation partners for providing BCYF centers
batting cages that will allow our young athletes to enjoy baseball throughout
every month of the year."
"Major League
Baseball is pleased to contribute to a project that will allow young people
throughout Boston to hone their skills and enjoy our sport year-round,"
said Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. "This particular
effort serves as a great illustration of the impact that the joint Youth
Development Foundation is making on worthy initiatives in Major League
markets. MLB also commends the Red Sox franchise on its exceptional
commitment to the communities of Boston."
"On behalf of all
Players, and especially those who call the Boston area home, we are happy to
direct funds from the Youth Development Foundation to help install indoor
batting cages throughout the city," stated MLBPA Executive Director,
Tony Clark. "One of the main goals of the Foundation is to improve
access to the sport of baseball for inner-city youth, and we believe this
project will help cultivate greater levels of interest and participation in
our great game among Boston youth."
"Growing the game
of baseball and connecting with younger fans is a point of focus for the Red
Sox, the league, and the Players Association," said Red Sox Chairman Tom
Werner. "We thank Commissioner Manfred and MLBPA Executive Director Tony
Clark for this generous grant that addresses a need in a number of youth and
family centers in Boston. This grassroots effort will help countless young
children improve their game, and we are grateful for the support from the
Youth Development Foundation in our community."
Over the next few
months, the Red Sox Foundation will install four batting cages in BCYF
locations in Boston. The first batting cage was formally unveiled today at
BCYF's Tobin location on Tremont Street in Mission Hill. Three more batting
cages will be installed in 2017 at BCYF's Curtis Hall in Jamaica Plain, the
Shelburne center in Roxbury, and the Nazarro center in the North End.
About the Red Sox
Foundation
The official team
charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation has distributed over
$93 million to support programs serving children and families across New
England. The Foundation's efforts are primarily focused on its cornerstone
programs: the Red Sox Scholars Program, which provides tutoring, mentoring,
enrichment programs and a college scholarship to academically talented but
economically disadvantaged Boston public school students; the Red Sox
Foundation's RBI and Rookie League youth baseball and softball programs
serving more than 1,500 inner city teens each summer; the New England Red Sox
Service Scholarship program providing scholarships to high school seniors in
CT, VT, ME, RI and NH based upon community service; the Massachusetts Little
League Initiative supporting up to 200 little league teams in the
Commonwealth, the Home Base Program, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts
General Hospital partnership providing clinical care for veterans
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress and traumatic brain
injury; The Dimock Center in Roxbury, serving more than 60,000 low-income
families in Boston's most disadvantaged neighborhoods; and The Jimmy Fund,
supporting breakthrough cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
About the Youth
Development Foundation
In July 2015, the
Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball announced
a commitment of $30 million toward a new joint initiative that will focus on
improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and
softball programs across the United States and Canada, titled the Youth
Development Foundation (YDF). The YDF funds are designated for a
comprehensive list of potential efforts that focus on, but are not limited
to: training and recognition programs for coaches; matching grants for youth
baseball academies; outreach and matching programs for Major Leaguers and
former Major Leaguers who desire to work with youth baseball programs in
their communities; and defraying the expense to play in elite-level programs
and showcases. The YDF was designed to supplement similar efforts that
are already underway to grow the game internationally, outside of the United
States and Canada.
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