Toronto Blue Jays named finalist for ESPN's 2021 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award
The Toronto Blue Jays have been selected as one of four finalists for ESPN’s 2021 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award, along with the Atlanta Dream (WNBA), Denver Broncos (NFL), and New York City Football Club (MLS).
The Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award represents a collegiate, professional, Olympic, or Paralympic sports team that demonstrates how teamwork can create a measurable impact on a community or cause. The Blue Jays are the first Canadian team to be named as a finalist in this category.
This honour recognizes the work of the club and its charitable arm, Jays Care Foundation, for the organization’s Blue Jays Community Commitment, a $7.5 million COVID-19 response plan that supported those disproportionately affected by the pandemic, specifically addressing food insecurity and the unprecedented social isolation that many young Canadians faced, including:
- 8.1 million meals delivered to food insecure Canadians;
- 14,200 youth participated in Jays Care virtual programming;
- 1,500 teachers, youth leaders, and volunteers trained by Jays Care to run best-in-class virtual programming;
- 20,000 volunteer hours from Blue Jays, Jays Care, and Rogers staff from coast-to-coast-to-coast;
- 2,000 adaptive equipment kits delivered to families of children living with disabilities (Challenger Baseball)
As part of being selected as a finalist, Jays Care will receive a grant from ESPN.
Last December, the Blue Jays received Major League Baseball’s 2020 Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence, also in recognition of the organization’s COVID-19 response efforts.