NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball shared the true holiday spirit on Friday afternoon, as volunteers from the MLB Together initiative spent time with the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y.
It’s the second consecutive year that volunteers traveled to a local Boys & Girls Club rather than hosting the event in MLB’s New York office. The league’s 30-year partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America serves more than 3.3 million youth across 5,200 clubs and all 50 states, creating opportunities on and off the field.
“At the Boys & Girls Club, it’s really about creating memories,” said Stanley King, the program director of the Thomas S. Murphy Clubhouse at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in Flatbush. “Thanks to partners like Major League Baseball, we created some great memories today.”
The memory-making process began last month, when the kids compiled a wish list and sent it to MLB Together. The list was distributed to MLB employees, who signed up to buy a specific gift.
At the event, the kids could hardly contain their excitement. Upon hearing their name called, they hopped out of their seat and bounded towards the table full of presents, which included scooters, musical instruments and athletic equipment.
“There’s no greater time to give back to the community than during the holidays,” said April Brown, senior vice president of social responsibility and diversity at MLB. “Major League Baseball has the special opportunity every year to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, who we’ve had a 30-year partnership with. To come to a local club here in Brooklyn, it’s amazing. To see the youth in person, bring some cheer and some gifts for the holidays, is what MLB Together is all about.”
Children also took photos with Santa, enjoyed a meal of pizza and chicken fingers and received a goodie bag with special gifts produced by MLB, including a pair of winter gloves.
They also participated in a captivating magic show thanks to magician Randy Masters and his wife, Angela Carranza.
“What I love about this is, whenever I come to the Boys & Girls Club, the kids believe in the magic of the holidays,” Masters said. “We’re already looking forward to coming back next year.”
Needless to say, many of the kids -- and adults -- had Friday circled on their calendar for a long time.
“It brightens the day of our young people,” King said. “I was definitely looking forward to it. Christmas is always a magical time, even for us adults. It takes us back to our childhood. To be able to see the smiles on their faces, it was just a great day of work.”
For volunteers with MLB, Friday’s holiday party was an opportunity to experience the joy of its partnership with the Boys & Girls Club.
“MLB Together emphasizes our corporate values of giving back to communities across the country and across the globe,” Brown said. “It’s the most important work that we do off the field. To be able to empower youth, to be able to provide resources, and to partner with those organizations that do that every day on the ground.”
As King said, it was a great day of work, or school, for everyone involved.