Justin Turner named recipient of the 2022 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One
PHILADELPHIA – World Series Champion and two-time All-Star Justin Turner has been named the recipient of the 2022 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One, Major League Baseball’s most prestigious individual player honor. Turner, nominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the third Dodger to win the Award, joining Steve Garvey (1981), and Clayton Kershaw (2012). Turner will officially receive the Roberto Clemente Award from Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., the Clemente family and a representative of Capital One at a pregame press conference before tonight’s Game Three of the World Series presented by Capital One at Citizens Bank Park.
Turner, who has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One by the Dodgers in five of the past six seasons, is being recognized for his consistent philanthropy throughout his native Los Angeles community that has been his MLB home for the past nine seasons. Justin has made meaningful contributions to Los Angeles in the following ways:
- Founded the Justin Turner Foundation (JTF) in 2016 with his wife Kourtney. JTF’s stated mission is to support homeless veterans, children and families battling life-altering diseases and illnesses as well as youth baseball organizations.
- Justin has been intimately involved with the operations of The Dream Center, a Los Angeles-based resource center focused on supporting the hungry and homeless through community outreach programs. He has aided in the The Dream Center’s programming for veterans, donated $100,000 to cover the annual budget of its Foster Care intervention program, and assisted throughout the pandemic with providing food and essential supplies to families. In 2021, The Dream Center renamed its food bank The Justin & Kourtney Turner Food Bank, and it currently supplies food to over 60 food banks throughout Los Angeles.
- Justin and Kourtney have provided over 70,000 toys and 14,000 bicycles to children in Los Angeles. They have also donated more than $100,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where Justin now sits on the board of directors. They make frequent visits to patients at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and Cedars Sinai Hospital throughout the year, send “get well” videos to dozens of children struggling with health issues all over the country, and serve as honorary hosts for CHLA’s Walk and Play LA event.
- The Justin Turner Foundation holds an annual golf tournament and supports AM 570’s Veterans Day Radio-a-thon, both of which aid the Dream Center’s Veterans Program. In 2022, the golf tournament raised over $650,000 for The Dream Center and CHLA.
- Following in his wife Kourtney’s passion for running, Justin was the race starter for the 2022 LA Marathon, helping raise over $70,000.
- During 2022 MLB All-Star Week, Justin appeared an All-Star Legacy event to commemorate a generous donation by his foundation that helped renovate the main community room and dining area of the Transition House, a 20,000 sq. foot facility in Downton Los Angeles (in the heart of Skid Row) that serves as one of the few providers serving homeless veterans who have limited support.
As a result of Justin’s considerable generosity to the Los Angeles area over the years, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously declared January 22, 2019 to be “Justin Turner Day.”
“The Dodger organization is very proud that Justin Turner has won the 2022 Roberto Clemente Award,” said Stan Kasten, President & CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers. “Justin and his wife, Kourtney, embody everything that the Award stands for. Their unwavering dedication to the community and supporting everyone around them is truly special, and something we can all strive to achieve.”
“Capital One is extremely proud to sponsor the Roberto Clemente Award, honoring the legacy of one of baseball’s greatest figures," said Andy Navarrete, Executive Vice President and Head of External Affairs at Capital One. "Justin Turner's consistent demonstration of his dedication to supporting people in need exemplifies the spirit of service of Roberto Clemente. During his tenure in Los Angeles, Justin has achieved success on the field while tirelessly working to help those facing homelessness, hunger and serious illness in his community."
The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field. The concept of honoring Major League players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award.” It was renamed to the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973 to honor the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Turner was selected from a list of 30 Club nominees by a distinguished panel that included Commissioner Manfred, Roberto Clemente’s children – Enrique, Luis and Roberto Jr., former players (including former Roberto Clemente Award winners), and journalists from MLB-affiliated network & media partners – MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN, TBS and MLB.com. Additionally, fans were given the chance to vote via MLB.com/Clemente21. In fact, Turner received more fan votes than any other 2022 Roberto Clemente Award nominee. Turner was recognized as a nominee on Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One, which was held on September 15th throughout Major League Baseball. Each September since 2002, Major League Baseball has commemorated Roberto Clemente Day to recognize Clemente Award nominees and celebrate the Hall of Famer’s indelible legacy.