(Part-1 of a two-part series)

As we reach the halfway point of the baseball offseason (and the last month of the decade) we have also reached the season of giving or the winter holidays. Around the world, people are gearing up to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah/Chanukah, Kwanza, etc. by purchasing gifts to give to each other.

While we are all in a giving mood this time of year, we should probably do it year-round, but no judgment, here are a few local foundations that you can support if you’re feeling extra giving this December.  

As part one of two, I’ll start with some Dodgers-based organizations including the Dodgers Foundation, Kershaw’s Challenge, and the newest of the bunch, Guidry’s Guardian. 

The Dodgers Foundation was established in 1995 and has been a large part of the Dodgers philanthropy ever since. The focus of the foundation is “finding innovative ways to create opportunities for children through programs that engage with kids in sports, help kids stay active and promote academic success,” according to their website.

The foundation provides several fundraising opportunities for fans to participate in throughout the season, with the biggest being the combination of in-game 50-50 raffles, onsite silent auctions, ribbon board messages, and the annual Fan Fest among other things. In 2018, these fundraisers by the Dodgers Foundation managed to raise over $4.5 million.

Their Blue Diamond Gala alone, featuring an up-close and personal dinner and musical performance with Dodger players raised over $2 million in 2018. Between youth camps and their annual 5K/10K/Kids Fun Run, they raised another $757 thousand, adding up to nearly $9 million raised to support the building of little league fields and educational grants. 

Although the usual efforts for fundraising generally occur during the season, or just before the start of it, fans who wish to donate can always do so via the Dodgers website. 

Fans can also become Blue Circle members which offer various discounts on tickets as well as exclusive opportunities like meet and greets, on-field batting practice viewing and incentives for different donation amounts. 

Additionally, the Dodgers Foundation accepts vehicle donations, year-round purchases of online auction items featuring game-used memorabilia and access to summer and winter youth camps with current players. There are currently spots remaining for the winter youth clinic on January 4 and 5 for those interested in their children having the opportunity from the pros while also giving to a wonderful cause to help those who are less fortunate. 

The next foundation on this list would have to be Kershaw’s Challenge, started by Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his wife Ellen in 2011. According to their website, the purpose of Kershaw’s Challenge is “to serve vulnerable and at-risk children living in Los Angeles, Dallas, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic. Our goal is to partner with organizations that are committed to this as well and work alongside them on specific projects to make life better for children.” 

The event the Kershaw’s put on closest to home is their annual Ping Pong 4 Purpose tournament that features Dodger players and celebrities all coming together to raise funds. This year, some of those funds benefitted local entities of the LA Dream Center, Just Keep Livin, a foundation started by actor Matthew McConaughey, and the Dodgers Foundation, mentioned above.

Elsewhere, the foundation also supports the International Justice Mission, which looks to end slavery and trafficking and Arise Africa, where the Kershaw’s are helping to fund the building of a school in Zambia. In both the Dominican and Africa, Kershaw’s Challenge also helps Both Ends Believing, who’s mission is “transforming global child welfare through technology and collaboration. 

The 2019 edition of the Ping Pong 4 Purpose event was the seventh one the Kershaw family has put on and featured a Giving Board which looked to fund rescue missions for children living in the Dominican that were sold into sex trafficking, similar to Strike Out Slavery which will be expanded upon in part two. 

Additionally, the Kershaw family hosted KC Live in Dallas, Tx. This year the event was a concert by country musician Toby Keith that raised over $1 million to go to the West Dallas Community School and For the Nations Refugee Outreach. 

Fans who wish to donate to Kershaw’s Challenge can do so here.

The final, and newest, foundation in the Dodgers family is Guidry’s Guardian, which was founded earlier this year by SportsNet LA host/reporter, Alanna Rizzo. The purpose of Rizzo’s organization is to raise awareness about dogs in need of homes, rescue animals from high kill shelters and help them get healthy, and to find them a forever home. 

Rizzo utilizes social media to not only raise awareness for animals in need but also as a means of raising funds and finding forever homes. She first posts information about the dog(s) in need, noting things about their health, personalities, and some background about how they ended up in their situation.

Rizzo keeps her followers updated on the status of the animals as they are removed from dangerous situations by dog rescue foundations, foster families, and adopters. 

All funds raised by Guidry’s Guardian are used to cover adoption and foster fees, cover medical costs, and rehabilitation fees that may otherwise be too much for an adopter to take care of to justify rescuing an animal. 

Rizzo offers several ways for fans to help her cause, ranging from donations on the Guidry’s Guardian website and signing up to be a foster or adopter, to fantastic giveaway prizes that can be won raffle style after making a donation. Some instances of her giveaways have included signed memorabilia and tickets to major sporting events ranging from unique seats at Dodger games to NFL and NHL tickets. 

Rizzo will also be conducting a Scorekeeping 101 class in January. The event, which asked for a $50 donation per spot and will feature lunch and a lesson in baseball scorekeeping, and a Q&A session, is already sold out but appears to just be the beginning for many other opportunities for fans to enjoy their favorite sport in a new way while also helping out a great cause at the same time.  

Stay tuned for Part Two.

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