How the 2025 Crew paid it forward in the community

This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MILWAUKEE – Brewers Community Foundation is putting the finishing touches on another impactful year in which the club’s charitable arm raised more than $5.7 million with contributions from every player on the roster, and was able to pay it forward to more than 200 nonprofits throughout Wisconsin.

It all adds up. Under the umbrella of “Beyond the Diamond” efforts, Brewers players, coaches, and front office staff made more than 115 appearances and contributed more than 3,300 hours to support nonprofits.

Here’s a rundown of some of the most impactful BCF and community relations department initiatives in 2025:

• 50/50 Raffle: The gameday mainstay set a record this year, raising more than $4 million. Fifty percent of the proceeds directly impacted nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Since its inception in 2010, the 50/50 raffle has raised $32,793,663 for good causes.

• Fundraisers: BCF partners with fans and supporters to fundraise through initiatives like the 5K/10K Famous Racing Sausages Run/Walk, the BCF Ultimate Auction and BCF Weekends. The Leadership Council – a group of corporate partners whose vital support makes many of these initiatives possible – includes American Family Insurance, Aurora Health Care, Baker Tilly, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Johnson Controls, Lubar & Co., Molson Coors, the Milwaukee Admirals, Northwestern Mutual, Potawatomi Casino Hotel, We Energies Foundation and Town Bank.

• Drive for Charity: The Brewers hosted five drive-thru and in-ballpark collection events in the 21st year of the program. Fans donated non-perishable food items, school supplies, new socks, pet supplies, new hats, mittens and scarves to support Community Advocates, Guest House, Wisconsin Humane Society, NourishMKE and Running Rebels.

• Grants: BCF provided grants to Sojourner Family Peace Center, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Milwaukee Public Library and Milwaukee County Parks. The impact stretches around the state with initiatives and support provided to nonprofits including Center for Black Excellence & Culture, Special Olympics, Bridging Gaps to Greatness and Best Buddies International, to name a few.

• Community Relations: Separate from BCF, the Brewers’ community relations department hosted a number of events this year. Among the most notable:

• Brewers Bookshelf Build, where players, front office volunteers and children from Lloyd Barbee Montessori School and Greenfield Bilingual School built 60 bookshelves on the warning track at AmFam Field.
• The eighth annual Play Ball Weekend, an MLB league-wide initiative that welcomed nearly 1,000 children for a morning of baseball and softball clinics to spark a love for the game.
• #KindnessInMKE, a day dedicated to surprise acts of kindness by players, coaches and front office staff, which resulted in $50,000 donated throughout the community in one day.

As part of #KindnessInMKE, Brewers alum Ryan Braun surprised seniors during their weekly aerobics class at Wilson Park Senior Center. Beyond player involvement, the Brewers’ front office staff also contributed, launching the season with a campaign to support domestic violence survivors. This effort supported four vital community partners including Sojourner Family Peace Center, Hope House, Waukesha Women’s Center and Milwaukee Women’s Center, with 250 care packages and a $5,000 grant for basic needs.

“Community is at the heart of everything we do,” Brewers VP of community relations Katina Shaw said.