Established in 1997, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation focuses its efforts on three main areas of need: homelessness, indigent healthcare and children's programs of all types, including education and youth baseball field development. In addition, the Foundation has created strategic programs that address the needs of our community including veterans, police, teachers, and firefighters - just to name a few. To date, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation have made charitable contributions totaling more than $55 million to non-profit organizations from across Arizona.
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Community Newsletter - VOL 6, ISSUE 2 • September 2018
1. VOL 6, ISSUE 2 • SEPTEMBER
COMMUNITY
NEWSLETTER
CELEBRATING $55 MILLION IN CHARITABLE GIVING
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
dbacks com/community
CHAIRMAN
KEN KENDRICK
PRESIDENT
MICHAEL KENNEDY
VICE PRESIDENT
DERRICK HALL
TREASURER
TOM HARRIS
SECRETARY
DEBBIE CASTALDO
ADVISORS
DEAN SHORT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MARC ASHTON
BRIAN R. BOOKER
AMY COHN
J. ERIC GUDIÑO
GARRY HAYS
DR. MICHAEL HILGERS
CULLEN MAXEY
BRAD NELSEN
JIM SCUSSEL
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS FOUNDATION
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
TAMMY BAKER
DEBBIE CASTALDO
MARK CAVANAUGH
HAMILTON ESPINOSA
LISA FACCIO
VICKI FIORELLI
TOM HATTEN
MARC ISAACS
JULIE JONES
CHRISTINA MARTINEZ
CULLEN MAXEY
SHAWN MCCLAIN
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS FOUNDATION
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
TOM MEEKS
JUDD NORRIS
PAUL ORTIZ
MIKE REINA
MICHAEL ROSS
RACHEL SAHLMAN
DENNIS SCULLY
MAX SIRSTINS
MO STEIN
ROB VANDERHEI
KERRI WHITE
The alarm clock goes off
at 6 am on a chilly spring
Saturday, but you’ve
already been awake for an
hour, waiting for the first
glimpse of daylight. Today
is the day…FINALLY! Your
new uniform is pressed and
ready. Your glove has been
carefully and methodically
broken in since you first
spotted it under the
Christmas tree. Your bat has seen enough of the
batting cage and is ready for action. It’s Opening
Day!
As you step out onto the pristine, freshly mowed turf,
you think to yourself, “how was I lucky enough to
get here, to be able play on this incredible field?”
You take a deep breath, check the positions of your
teammates and then hear the greatest two words in
sports, “Play Ball!” The pitch is thrown and the first
game on Paul Goldschmidt Field has begun!
Since 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation
has built or refurbished 41 baseball and softball
fields throughout Arizona and has given thousands
of boys and girls the opportunity to experience their
own Opening Day dreams. The “Diamonds Back”
field building program is one of many ways that
the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation gives back
to the community. I am fortunate to have been
part of the fields design team since its inception,
beginning with Matt Williams Field in 2000. The
locations of the fields are determined through a
grant process and the design and construction of the
fields is a partnership of talented local contractors
and businesses. With financial support from Arizona
Public Service and Diamondback players, the design-
build team turns dreams into reality, complete with
new lights, electronic scoreboard, fencing, backstops
and dugouts. As each field is completed, the Arizona
Diamondbacks Foundation, D-Backs front office and
the baseball player to whom the field is dedicated
celebrate with a wonderful unveiling ceremony to
the community. I have attended almost all of the
dedications and best part is to see the kid’s eyes
light up when they see the new field for the first time.
With each new field dedication, a community comes
together. Parents and children have a place to make
new memories. Coaches will teach youngsters the
importance of teamwork, good sportsmanship and
comradery. It is truly a point of pride for the entire
community.
Another Foundation event that I am particularly
proud of is the D-Backs Race Against Cancer. This
annual springtime event includes a 5K race and a
one-mile Family Fun Walk through the streets of
downtown Phoenix, beginning and ending at Chase
Field. Since its inception in 2013, this event has
grown each year and has raised over $1,200,000 to
benefit Arizona non-profit organizations that provide
screening, treatment and support for those dealing
with all types of cancer.
Runners and walkers from the local community as
well as across the country have said this event is one
of their favorites. With sponsors like the University
of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital and
Banana Boat as well as a huge corps of volunteers
and corporate race teams, the D-Backs Race Against
Cancer is quickly becoming one of the premier race
events in the Valley of the Sun.
As the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation celebrates
more than $55 million in charitable giving in our
20th year, we continue to look for new ways to
improve our communities throughout Arizona. The
Foundation focuses its efforts on three main areas
of need: homelessness, indigent healthcare and
children’s programs of all types. In addition, the
Foundation continues to create strategic programs
that address the needs of our community including
veterans, police, teachers, and firefighters - just to
name a few.
Sincerely,
Tom Meeks
Member, Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation
Executive Council Senior Project Manager, Civil &
Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Letter from TOM MEEKS
CELEBRATING $55 MILLION IN CHARITABLE GIVING
2. dbacks com/communityPAGE 2 VOL 6, ISSUE 2 • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
D-BACKS INTER-TRIBAL YOUTH BASEBALL
AND SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT AND
NATIVE AMERICAN RECOGNITION DAY
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
D-BACKS INTER-TRIBAL YOUTH BASEBALL AND
SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
The D-backs hosted the 20th Annual Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball and
Softball Invitational, recognizing the Native American community from
May 31 – June 3. The games are played at Salt River Fields, the only
complex built on tribal land. The tournament spans four days of morning
and evening play, culminating with an exciting championship game
held inside the stadium. This summer, more than 1,170 participants
competed in the tournament, featured 78 teams, all traveled from five
states - Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oklahoma. Since year one, there have been over 1,687 games
played, with 899 teams and 13,485 players.
A surprise visit by D-backs players always caps off the week for the athletes and this year was no
different! Pitcher Brad Boxberger spent the day out at the fields with the baseball and softball players,
teaming up with them in the dugouts, supporting them and sharing memories through the sport.
With each year comes hope of celebrating a Major League debut of one of the Native American athletes.
NATIVE AMERICAN RECOGNITION DAY, PRESENTED BY GILA RIVER
HOTELS AND CASINOS
On June 3, the D-backs hosted Native American Recognition Day, presented by Gila River Casinos.
The festivities began when the gates opened and included performances throughout the ballpark
– including one on the field – by performance groups including, Native American drum groups,
dancers, vocalists, royalty and more. All participants from the Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball and Softball
Invitational were recognized during a pre-game ceremony that included a parade around the warning
track of the field.
DBACKS TEAM PLAYER GIVEBACK EVENT
Over 175 D-backs Employees spent several days at the
new Valencia Newcomer School from July 9-11 to help
prepare for the grand opening on August 8. The team
moved furniture out, cleaned, painted and transformed
classrooms into a haven for the students. A library and
teacher’s lounge makeover, cafeteria and nurse’s area
painted, creation and stocking of a new clothing closet,
and a transformation of a classroom into an indoor PE
room, equipped with paint and flooring and them some
was all completed.
3. FREE CAR SEAT SAFETY CHECK – SUNDAY, APRIL 29
On April 29, the D-backs, Safelite AutoGlass, the Phoenix Fire Department,
and the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety teamed up for a free
car seat safety check in Laveen. Technicians were on hand to check car
seats to make sure they were properly installed. Seats that did not meet
safety requirements were replaced free of charge.
BICYCLE GIVEAWAY AND SAFETY EVENT – FRIDAY, JUNE 15
On Friday, June 15 the D-backs and Safelite gave away free bikes and
helmets to the members of the Boys and Girls Club Colangelo Branch.
Once the kids received their bikes and helmets, Phoenix Fire and Phoenix
Police instructed the kids in safety drills in an obstacle course. Infielder
Ketel Marte took a whirl around the Bike Rodeo, which was impactful to
the kids.
DISCOUNT SWIM LESSONS
The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and Safelite AutoGlass teamed
up with the Phoenix Fire Department and City of Phoenix Aquatics to
promote swim safety and expand access to swimming lessons for kids and
adults! On top of normal pool hours in June and July, select City of Phoenix
pools were open on weekends in August to offer expanded access to swim
lessons for kids, teens, and adults. Lessons were available at numerous
pools across the Phoenix area, with a limited amount of lessons offered for
the discounted rate of only $3.
UPCOMING PROGRAM – “BE A FRIEND” (BUDDY) BENCHES
Every summer the D-backs partner with Safelite AutoGlass on a series of
programs to support safety for children. Together the D-backs and Safelite
have supported thousands of swimming lesson, car seats, new bikes and
helmets, immunizations, smoke detectors and more.
As parents and partners in the community, we recognize that cyberbullying
and bullying are additional areas where children face tremendous risk.
This year the D-backs and Safelite have teamed up with Be Kind People
Project to deliver a thoughtful and positive message in schools across
Arizona. In September and October, the D-backs, Safelite and Be Kind
People Project will deliver twenty-five “Be A Friend” (Buddy) Benches
to local schools. The “Be A Friend” benches are D-backs branded and
funded by the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and Safelite. Each will
come with materials that align with the Be Kind People Project messaging
and encourage each school’s commitment to implement the program in
alignment with the Be Kind Pledge.
OFFI CI AL COM M U N I TY N EW SLETTER OF TH E ARI Z O NA D IAMO ND B ACK S
dbacks com/community PAGE 3VOL 6, ISSUE 2 • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
D-BACKS SAFELITE AUTOGLASS SUMMER OF SAFETY
The D-backs and Safelite have stepped up to the plate again this summer to help keep kids safe through the D-backs and Safelite AutoGlass Summer of
Safety Program.
The program will focus on different areas of child safety including swim safety, bicycle safety, and anti-bullying. The program aims to keep kids in the game
all summer long by raising awareness and providing valuable information, instruction, and resources to the community.
4. MYSTERY BALL
Support the Arizona
Diamondbacks Foundation by
purchasing a baseball signed
by one of your D-backs
favorites. Fans can make
a $40 donation in
exchange for a Mystery
Ball box containing an
autographed baseball
signed by D-backs players, coaches and alumni. Funds raised
benefit the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and are used to
support youth sports and education initiatives.
Mystery Ball sales begin when gates open at section 130.
Quantities are limited.
An additional 2018 Mystery Ball Date was added – Monday,
September 17, D-backs vs. Cubs
dbacks com/communityPAGE 4 VOL 6, ISSUE 2 • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
OFFI CI AL COM M U N I TY N EW SLETTER OF TH E ARI Z O NA D IAMO ND B ACK S
IN THE COMMUNITY
D-BACKS GIVE
BACK 50/50
RAFFLE
The D-backs Give Back
50/50 Raffle, supported
by Arizona Lottery,
is available at every
D-backs home game
during the 2018
season. The charitable
half of the jackpot
benefits the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation to support youth
baseball field development and sports outreach across the state
of Arizona.
Tickets are available for 3 for $5, 10 for $10 or 80 for $20 from
roving sellers in the stands and at raffle kiosks located throughout
the Chase Field concourse levels.
Visit dbacks.com/raffle to learn more.
D-BACKS
AUTHENTICS
D-backs Authentics offers
a wide array of game-used
jerseys, caps, helmets,
baseballs, bases, bats and
more. A portion of funds
from D-backs Authentics
sales benefit the
Arizona Diamondbacks
Foundation.
Shop online at dbacks.com/authentics or visit the D-backs
Authentics Store, located at Section 134 at Chase Field during
any 2018 D-backs home game.
HOW YOU CAN GIVE BACK
Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation’s youth field-building program, supported by APS,
dedicated the 40th and 41st Diamonds Back Fields this summer. First, in Douglas,
Erubiel Durazo Field was dedicated. Just weeks after, the renovated Willie Bloomquist
Field similarly represented a community investment in youth sports programs
exceeding $10 million since its overall inception in 2000.
As a part of Heroes Weekend, Luis Gonzalez visits Phoenix Fire Department and
Phoenix Police Department as part of his foundation, Hometown Heroes. Gonzo’s
Hometown Heroes Fund, benefits projects, programs and non-profit organizations that
support Police Officers, Firefighters, and First Responders across Arizona.
D-backs Players’ Wives host a Birthday Party at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
FIELD DEDICATION – ERUBIEL DURAZO, WILLIE BLOOMQUIST
GONZO’S HOMETOWN HEROES FUND
WIVES PROGRAM