SAN FRANCISCO, June 29, 2020 —The Giants Community Fund today announced initial results from its virtual program, Junior Giants at Home, presented by Bank of America, reaching over 8,400 players across 24 states and four countries. The program was developed to continue the mission of the annual program hosted each summer, and aims to utilize baseball and softball as a way to introduce important lessons in education, health, bullying prevention and character development.

 We are so thankful for all of the players and families who have participated in the Junior Giants at Home program,” said Sue Petersen, Executive Director of the Giants Community Fund. “While the players could not be with their teammates on the field, we have been thrilled to bring the leagues together virtually and provide players with summer activities from the comfort of their homes. We are excited to continue this momentum and remain committed to providing fun, educational and creative programming for our players throughout these unprecedented times.”

The final Junior Giants at Home 4-week summer season begins on Monday, July 6. Practices will be hosted twice weekly and provide kids and teens with an opportunity to connect virtually with other local players through live, age-specific sessions that feature exclusive videos from the San Francisco Giants coaching staff. New this season, practices will also be offered in Spanish. Families can sign up to participate by visiting jrgiantsathome.org and register for a league in their local area. Friends and family across the country can also participate by selecting the “Out of Market” league option on the registration webpage.

The Giants Community Fund is also celebrating and recognizing its 2020 Harmon & Sue Burns Scholars graduating class. Each year, ten participants of the Junior Giants program are chosen as Harmon & Sue Burns Scholars based on their leadership skills, character, academic potential and Junior Giants involvement. Each scholar received a $5,000 scholarship, which will be used towards the pursuit of higher education.

The Harmon & Sue Burns Scholarship Program was named in honor of the late Giants owners Harmon and Sue Burns and is underwritten by the Burns Family Foundation and Franklin Templeton Investments. Since its inception in 1991, the Giants Community Fund has distributed $525,000 in scholarships to support continued education for select Junior Giants participants.

All 10 scholars have graduated from their respective high schools and are continuing on to higher education. The

2020 graduates are:

• Lisandro Calderon, Morgan Hill

• Kimberly Chavez, Salinas

• Teanna Bautista-Leung, San Bruno

• Paige Bour, Kelseyille

• Emily Chrasta, Los Molinos

• Samantha Jones, Los Banos

• Jordan Lewis, Redding

• Yangsheng “William” Liang, Daly City

• Ariana Ruiz, Sanger

• Emilia Salinas, Red Bluff

The 2020 incoming class of Harmon & Sue Burns Scholars will be announced later this summer. To learn more about Junior Giants and the Giants Community Fund, visit http://www.jrgiants.org and follow us on Facebook: Giants Community Fund, Twitter: @giantscommunity, Instagram: @giantscommunityfund and LinkedIn: Giants Community Fund.

About Junior Giants

Junior Giants, the flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, is a free, noncompetitive baseball and softball program for boys and girls, ages 5-18 years old, in underserved communities. Nearly 24,000 youth in 370 cities throughout Northern and Central California, Western Nevada and Southern Oregon will participate annually. Beyond introducing the fundamentals of the game, Junior Giants provides opportunities for children to learn the meaning of leadership, teamwork, confidence and integrity, as well as the importance of education, health and bullying prevention.

About the Giants Community Fund

The Giants Community Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, collaborates with the San Francisco Giants by using baseball and softball as a forum to encourage underserved youth and their families to live healthy, productive lives. The Fund supports Junior Giants leagues throughout Northern California, Nevada and Oregon and provides assistance to targeted community initiatives in the areas of Education, Health and Violence Prevention. Since its inception in 1991, the Fund has donated over $33 million to community efforts. The Fund is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors, and is sustained by contributions from individuals, businesses and foundations through a number of special partnerships and fundraisers.