San Francisco Giants to receive statewide prize from USF
The University of San Francisco (USF) announced today that it will award its 2012 USF California Prize for Service and the Common Good to the San Francisco Giants. USF’s annual prize recognizes individuals or organizations that have made significant advancements or innovations in serving the public and advocating on behalf of underserved populations in California. The university will celebrate the Giants at a gala dinner on Monday, Nov. 12 on the USF campus, located in the heart of San Francisco. Larry Baer, president and CEO of the Giants, will be accepting the USF California Prize on behalf of the Giants during the event.
The Giants’ work in the community, through the Giants Community Fund, Giants in the Community, and Junior Giants Baseball, translates into a variety of unique and progressive programs dedicated to addressing some of the most pressing needs of children and their families, including health, violence prevention, youth fitness and recreation, education, and literacy.
Since its inception in 1991, the nonprofit Giants Community Fund has donated more than $14 million to community efforts to improve the lives of youth and families. The Junior Giants Program, for example, uses baseball to teach confidence, integrity, leadership, and teamwork. Each year, more than 20,000 boys and girls in nearly 100 communities across California participate in this free baseball program. Initiated in 1994, the program gives atrisk youth ages 5 to 18 an alternative to drugs, gangs, and crime.
“As an organization, the Giants places a high priority on community engagement — with all employees, from front-office staff to the players themselves, giving back to the Bay Area in myriad ways,” said USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. “Through community events and programs that help under resourced youth and families to live healthy, productive lives, the Giants organization has shown its extraordinary dedication to the people and issues that affect the San Francisco Bay Area. The Giants are an inspiration and model for sports teams across the nation, and we honor and celebrate the organization’s positive influence in our city and beyond.”
“It is a remarkable honor to be recognized by the city’s first university for our work off the playing field,” said Baer. “The USF California Prize is certainly a source of motivation for us to continue these efforts.”
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the USF California Prize. Previous recipients include:
?ull; 2011 Daniel Lurie, CEO and founder of Tipping Point Community
?ull; 2010 One PacificCoast Bank and Foundation (formerly OneCalifornia)
?ull; 2009 Alice Waters, chef and champion of locally grown food
?ull; 2008 Lynn Fritz, social entrepreneur and founder of the Fritz Institute
For more information on the University of San Francisco California Prize for Service and the Common Good, or for details on the Nov. 12 prize dinner, please visit californiaserviceprize.org. More information on the San Francisco Giants and its work in the community can be found at sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com.