The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) announced on Tuesday its fourth consecutive season of Dodgers RBI (Reviving Baseball In Inner Cities). Dodgers RBI affiliate partners will work with LADF to present youth development programming, anchored in baseball and softball for 7,800 youngsters at 56 locations. Regions include Compton, East Los Angeles, Harbor City, Inglewood, Long Beach, Northeast Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Southwest Los Angeles and Venice. Dodgers RBI recently named 10 affiliate partners for the 2017 season. New partners include the City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine, host of 19 locations, and the East Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club.

Returning Dodgers RBI partners include:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Venice and the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club – more than 800 boys and girls clubs members will now participate in the program
• City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks – new locations including Pecan Recreation Center, Highland Recreation Center and Montecito Heights Recreation Center
• County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation East County Community Services Agency with a new location at Obregon Park
• County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation South County Community Services Agency
• MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton
• City of Inglewood Parks, Recreation and Library Services Department
• Hollywood Indies Little League

“We are excited to welcome new partners and returning partners who all continue to share in our goal of increasing youth participation in sport while engaging youth and families with necessary educational and health resources,” said Nichol Whiteman, executive director LADF. “Dodgers RBI is bigger than baseball. Partnership and collaboration are the secret sauce to ensuring we have the biggest impact on the kids who need it most.”

LADF’s RBI program enters its fourth consecutive season this year.
(Photo courtesy of LADF)

In addition to LADF staff support, all affiliate partners receive program resources including equipment and uniforms for all players, an online registration website and data collection system, recruitment flyers and additional marketing materials. Monetary grants are provided to offset umpires and field maintenance costs. Affiliate partners will work with LADF to implement various program elements including baseball and softball clinics with support from local law enforcement, financial literacy seminars, college access tours, coaches training, literacy programs, recycling education, nutrition education, fitness clinics and eye screenings/exams and glasses for baseball and softball players ages 5-18. Special events will include community events at local recreation and community centers, a mid-season celebration at Dodger Stadium and opportunities to compete in MLB RBI Regional events.

“Our primary purpose is to help make financial lives better, and a great way to do this is by offering helpful financial education to kids and families in a fun environment like the Dodgers RBI program. This is one of many ways we work with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation as a way to give back to the community,” said Raul Bustillos, SVP of Community Relations, Bank of America. “Hundreds of my bank colleagues and I always look forward to volunteer our time throughout the season with our favorite players and coaches to help people get on the path of economic mobility.”

In addition to Gold Sponsor Bank of America, 2017 partnering corporations and organizations include:

• Program Sponsors: ARCO, California Masonic Foundation, County of Los Angeles Public Works, Gazillion Bubbles, LA84 Foundation,  NIKE and Partnership for a Healthier America.
• Program Partners:  Aquarium of the Pacific, Barton Bros Fitness LLC, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, California State University, Northridge, Coaching Simplified, iHeartRadio, AM570 Sports, KIND, Lakers Youth Foundation, LeagueApps, Natasha Watley Foundation, Papa John’s, Pitch in For Baseball, Positive Coaching Alliance, Read Conmigo, San Gabriel Valley Arsenal, SportUp, Up2Us and Vision To Learn.

Dodgers RBI advances the mission of MLB RBI, birthed in 1989 in South Central Los Angeles by founder John Young. Young, a former Major League Baseball player and scout, developed the concept of RBI to provide disadvantaged youth an opportunity to learn and enjoy the game of baseball. Dodgers RBI simultaneously aims to: increase participation in the sport and use sport participation as an engagement tool to increase access to education, literacy, health, wellness, and recreational resources in some of Los Angeles’ most underserved communities. Dodgers RBI is more than baseball and focuses on youth character development as it engages communities and families in programming.

Dodgers RBI is part of MLB’s overall Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program. MLB’s RBI has served approximately two million young people since its inception, is administered by Major League Baseball and is designed to give young people from underserved and diverse communities the opportunity to play baseball and softball, while also encouraging academic achievement and success and teaching the value of teamwork and other important life lessons.  For more information on MLB RBI, please visit www.MLB.org/RBI.

(Article courtesy of Dodgers PR Department)