The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will dedicate its 46th and 47th Dodgers Dreamfields at Darby Park in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday, part of its efforts to revitalize baseball in the city.
A youth baseball clinic for almost 500 Dodgers RBI program participants will follow the field dedications, as well as a Dodger Day presented by ARCO. Adrian Gonzalez and his wife, Betsy, will be in attendance, as will Inglewood mayor James T. Butts Jr. The events start at 10:30 a.m. PT.
• Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation
In addition to Gonzalez, Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood will help run the youth clinic, and Dodger Day will include meet and greets with Dodgers alumni Derrel Thomas, Dennis Powell and Kenny Landreaux.
"Betsy and I are honored to be a part of reviving baseball in the city of Inglewood and are committed to helping empower unprivileged youth in the areas of athletics, education and health," Gonzalez said in a statement. "We hope our support helps ease the burden of many families and gives hundreds of kids the opportunity to participate."
The Gonzalezes have provided support for the construction of the two Dodgers Dreamfields at the park, have made contributions toward uniforms and equipment for the Dodgers RBI players in Inglewood and have eliminated the former $25 league registration fee so that baseball and softball are now free to play in Inglewood.
• Dodgers Dreamfields
The Darby Park field renovations include one regulation-size field for multiple age groups and a youth-size field, as well as new fences, irrigation and scoreboards.
Other partners on the $300,000 project include the Ahmanson Foundation; City of Inglewood Department of Parks, Recreation and Library Services; the LA84 Foundation; and Security Benefit.
"The Dodgers Dreamfields are complete and mark another milestone in the advancement of Inglewood," Butts said in a statement. "It is time for our youth to 'Play Ball.'"
Dodgers Dreamfields aims to provide safe places for Los Angeles area youth to play in their neighborhoods, with the goal of completing 50 fields. The Dodgers RBI program for youth baseball and softball aims to increase youth participation in both sports, and it will have 7,800 players aged 5-18 participate across greater Los Angeles in 2017.
"We are thrilled to provide additional resources to the families in this community," Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation executive director Nichol Whiteman said in a statement. "Our hope is that they will produce a rippling impact that is seen and felt for years to come."