With Thanksgiving on Thursday, it’s officially the holiday season, so it’s time to look at some of the charitable efforts from the Angels and their players who give back throughout the year.
Here’s a look at a few recent and upcoming events this holiday season as the organization tries to make an impact in the community:
Science of Baseball
Just last week, the Angels hosted 450 local fourth graders at Angel Stadium for their second annual Science of Baseball event on Nov. 16. The Angels partnered with Science of Sport and Toyota to teach the students STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and how it interacts with baseball.
The students had the chance to participate in fun hands-on activities and games at the ballpark that taught them about how much STEM is involved in athletics.
TeamSmile Dental Clinic
The Angels hosted a dental clinic for more than 250 elementary students from Centralia Unified School District at Angel Stadium on Nov. 14. The students received free dental care from a team of oral health professionals and also learned the importance of oral health.
Participants received a T-shirt and toothbrushes, and they took part in activities, such as a face-painting booth, to help ease the nerves that can come with seeing a dentist.
Kids Holiday Party
The Angels are set to host their 19th annual Kids Holiday Party in December at Angel Stadium. Last year, more than 600 children from local nonprofits attended the event, which was held on the field at the ballpark.
There were several activity stations set up on the field. The children all received pajamas, Angels hats, holiday crafts, candy canes and a new toy from Santa.
O’Hoppe All-Star Bowl
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe received a huge honor this season, being named as the club’s nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. The award is given to a player who "best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field."
O’Hoppe makes numerous hospital visits throughout the season and, for the second straight year, he had patients from Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach sign his chest protector as part of Players Weekend. O’Hoppe has made it his mission to connect with and bring joy to hospital patients after his father, Michael, had a bout with leukemia. (He is now cancer-free.)
O’Hoppe supports several causes, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and hosted the second annual O’Hoppe All-Star bowling event in nearby Fountain Valley on Sept. 7. It raised funds for both YMCA of Orange County and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach.
Kurt Suzuki Family Foundation
New manager Kurt Suzuki has long been known for giving back to the community, especially in his native Hawaii and in Southern California after starring at Cal State Fullerton before his 16-year MLB career. Suzuki created the Kurt Suzuki Family Foundation and raises money for several causes, especially in providing aid to his native island of Maui after the devastating Lahaina fires in 2023.
He's been active in raising funds for the rebuilding process in Maui and also recently sponsored a cultural baseball trip to Japan for underprivileged youth from Hawaii. He’s set to host the sixth annual Taste of Hawai‘i Gala in Maui on Jan. 31, which helps raise funds for those affected by the fires and to provide baseball equipment and apparel to youth baseball players in Maui.
Trout’s work with mental health
Superstar Mike Trout, who has been a Roberto Clemente Award nominee four times, has helped raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention after he lost his brother-in-law Aaron Cox to suicide in 2018. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, became an MLB Mental Wellness Ambassador two seasons ago as part of the MLB Together campaign and does countless charitable events throughout the year both locally in Southern California and in his native New Jersey.
Other charitable efforts
The Angels raise money for the Angels Baseball Foundation by auctioning off items at angels.auctions.mlb.com. Other events include Rally Readers, Play Ball Weekend, Roberto Clemente Clinic presented by Nike, Inland Empire School Clinics, Angels Softball Academy, the Christmas In June Toy Drive and the Angels Lexus 5K & Fun Run. And initiatives include the Angels College Scholarship, the Angels 8th Grade AVID Scholarship the Adopt-A-School program, the Military Salute Program, Back 2 School and Classroom Connections.