Giving back to LA schools ‘the right thing to do’ for Roberto Clemente Award nominee Smith

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Back when Will Smith's wife, Cara, taught first grade at a Title I school in Kentucky, she saw firsthand how many of her students did not have access to the resources they needed for success, whether at home or at school. Through her, it opened Smith's eyes to an area where he could one day make a difference.

In 2021, Cara and Will Smith founded the Catching Hope Foundation, which has been a presence in the Los Angeles community ever since. In recognition of the foundation's work, Will Smith was the Dodgers' nominee for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award.

"It's a huge honor," Smith said. "I think Roberto's legacy is incredible. Obviously incredible baseball career, but more importantly, the stuff he did off the field. You know, he's 1A in that regard, doing things for other people and making other people's lives better."

The Roberto Clemente Award is one of Major League Baseball's highest honors, given annually to the player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field.

One player from each team is nominated for the award, and the overall winner is determined by a blue-ribbon panel that includes a fan vote, which is open until Sunday. The winner will be honored during the 2026 World Series.

Mookie Betts won last year's Roberto Clemente Award, joining Justin Turner (2022), Clayton Kershaw (2012) and Steve Garvey (1981) as the fourth Dodger to win the league-wide honor. Smith could become the fifth, but for him, being able to use his platform for good is reward enough.

"We really enjoy brightening kids' days and helping them out and getting them on their feet, or just giving them opportunities that they probably wouldn't have had unless we step in and provide it," Smith said. "It's super important to us just because we feel like it's the right thing to do. We have an opportunity to help people and just enjoy it."

The Catching Hope Foundation states that its mission is "to help underprivileged children with critical skills needed for leadership, self-advocacy, and self-sufficiency." The aim is to allocate resources to students in need that will help them develop valuable tools for success.

To that end, the Catching Hope Foundation has entered into longer-term partnerships with multiple schools, beginning with Clifford Elementary School in 2024. The relationship began with an L.A. Reads Storytime event and continued across two school years, ending with the installation of a permanent outdoor literacy space as part of a 2024 World Series Legacy Initiative in partnership with the Dodgers and MLB.

In 2025, the Catching Hope Foundation partnered with two additional schools -- Manhattan Place Elementary School in South L.A. and Langdon Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley -- which also received outdoor literacy areas. As the relationships with each school blossomed, Smith and his foundation have gained a deeper understanding into how to best serve each community.

The Smiths work with school districts to identify which schools have the greatest needs, whether they be related to funding, student performance or external circumstances. Following the devastating 2025 Southern California wildfires, they partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District Foundation and the Pasadena Unified School District Foundation to auction off the 2024 World Series final out ball, donating $180,000 in proceeds to the districts.

In April of this year, the Catching Hope Foundation visited one of the impacted LAUSD schools, Marquez Charter Elementary School, which burned down in the Palisades Fire but has since reopened. Students from Marquez Charter were later invited to Dodger Stadium for the Catching Hope Community Clinic, an annual event that hosts a different elementary school each year.

"We like trying to build a relationship with the schools and really get to know them and what they need and what's truly going to help the kids," Smith said. "Not, we're offering one thing to the school that might not need it. It's, no, what do you really need for the school that's really going to help encourage kids to show up and learn and be happy and just enjoy school and learning, and to set them up the rest of their lives?"

As a catcher, Smith builds relationships with the members of his pitching staff on a daily basis. That ability plays a big role in his work with the community, too.