Extensive community involvement earns Adam his 2nd Roberto Clemente Award nomination

SAN DIEGO -- Jason Adam was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2024 for his time with Tampa Bay. When he arrived in San Diego, he was already hugely involved in the community, then found himself joining another organization that seemed to share his mission.

Since Adam’s arrival at the 2024 Trade Deadline, he has been among the most engaged player ambassadors with the Padres Foundation. He also works extensively with Olive Crest to create opportunities and a space for children facing abuse and family crisis, and he’s partnered with the Padres Foundation in doing so.

Now, Adam is the Padres’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, Major League Baseball’s top honor for players demonstrating exceptional character, community work and philanthropy on and off the field. It’s Adam’s second nomination in three years (and second with as many organizations). Fans can vote here for this year’s winner through Sunday.

“Just to be even named in the conversation with Roberto Clemente, it’s a huge honor,” Adam said. “I love that MLB gives out that award and that the Padres’ staff thought that highly of me, means a ton to me and my whole family.”

Adam says he’s been blown away by the support from the Padres toward his charitable pursuits, as they’ve helped him and his wife, Kelsey, find avenues to further their causes. Ownership, from the Seidler family to new owners José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, has been active in its investment.

“My wife and I, when we got involved in Olive Crest, the Padres came right alongside us -- the Seidler family and everybody just stepped right in,” Adam said. “Every team has their community initiatives, but for them to step right in and come alongside us and get interested in what we’re interested in, it meant so much.

“Now with José and Kwanza, I know they’re very big on serving the community around them. So I’m excited to hopefully partner with them going forward and get interested in what they’re interested in. And they can get interested in what we as players are interested in. It’s a great community here. Anything we can do to just leave it a little better.”

Adam has left it a whole lot better. Particularly through his work with Olive Crest, which has a stated mission to “transform the lives of children and families in crisis,” particularly children impacted by abuse and neglect.

“The amount of lives they’ve impacted in the city of San Diego and even up the coast is staggering,” Adam said. “Just to be a small part of that is a huge honor.”

Adam may feel like a small part, but his contributions have been crucial. For each strikeout he records, Jason and Kelsey, through Olive Crest, provide $1,250 to ensure a child experiencing abuse, neglect, or family crisis has access to a safe, loving home. The initiative supports emergency placements, host family training and services for vulnerable children throughout San Diego County.

Meanwhile, Adam has worked closely with Rady Children's Hospital on a variety of events, offering support to children battling cancer. For one, he has hosted a group of teen cancer patients in Peoria, Ariz., for a weekend at Spring Training in each of the past couple years, giving them time away from hospital life.

The Adams have also formed a partnership with the Youth Assistance Coalition, a local charity less than a mile from Petco Park focused on the area's growing homeless youth population. They hosted and served dinner, while providing essential items as well.

For all his efforts, Adam insists he’s merely one player in a sizable group of Padres who have invested themselves in the community.

“I don’t feel like I deserve it honestly,” Adam said of the nomination. “I think I’ve been surrounded by a ton of great people who have made it available for me to step into the community, and when possible, have made it really easy to step into the community. That’s a clubhouse full of guys that could very easily win this nomination. It’s a group of selfless men that care deeply about more than just themselves. They inspire me every day. It’s a huge honor.”