Unity in the Community

On April 29, TJ Friedl, Rhett Lowder, Dane Myers and Jose Trevino stopped by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

The players spent time with patients inside the hospital’s Seacrest Studios where they held a Q&A, played games, signed autographs and posed for photos. They even made a special visit to the ICU so they could meet a big Reds fan who was unable to make it to the studio.

The Cincinnati Reds and the Hope Emergency Program food bank teamed up for the second annual “Peanut Butter Jam” food drive on, April 26 at Great American Ball Park.

For each 16-oz jar of peanut butter donated, fans received one free View Level ticket to an upcoming Reds home game.

Last year’s inaugural “Peanut Butter Jam” collected over 600 jars. This year, Reds Country really stepped up, donating more than 3,600 jars.

“These fans have always been amazing. But what they are doing to help us in the community is even more special,” Reds President & CEO Phil Castellini said to WLWT. “We are stewards of a community asset, and our fans all over Reds Country are the ones that own this team, and they make it tick.”

Peanut butter is one of the most requested items at many food pantries because it is a shelf-stable, protein-rich food that has a variety of uses and is popular with people of all ages.

The “Peanut Butter Jam” supports Realizing the Dream, a five-year community service initiative designed to inspire youth, educators, and communities to complete 100 million hours of service by 2029, honoring the 100th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth.

On a perfect spring day in Versailles, Ind., South Ripley High School officially unveiled the first Reds Community Fund major field renovation in Indiana: Forest G. Waters Field at St. Elizabeth Ball Park.

Twenty years into the Castellini ownership era of the Reds and more than 30 major field projects later, the Reds and Reds Community Fund -- in partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare for the fourth time -- reached another part of Reds Country with their baseball and softball field renovation efforts. This year’s beneficiary of an upgraded facility was South Ripley, with the official ribbon cutting taking place on Apri 22.

The Reds and Reds Community Fund joined Major League Baseball’s annual celebration of Jackie Robinson Day with activities at the ballpark and the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy.

On April 15, Reds players Will Benson, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Rece Hinds and Dane Myers visited the Reds Youth Academy to discuss the impact of Jackie Robinson with players from Wilberforce University and Kentucky State University before the HBCUs took the field for a game. The festivities continued that night at Great American Ball Park for the Reds vs. Giants game. Players, managers and coaches wore No. 42 jerseys to honor Robinson’s historic debut along with a ‘42’ patch on the caps. In addition, the Reds honored the baseball legend with pregame ceremonies and fans in attendance received a commemorative #42 adhesive patch, courtesy of Network for Hope.

A few days earlier, the Reds Youth Academy hosted its fifth annual Joe Morgan HBCU Classic along with six baseball and softball games from the Skyline Chili Reds Futures High School Showcase presented by PNC. The HBCU players wore throwback Negro Leagues jerseys and the high school players were provided a Jackie Robinson Day T-shirt.

On Feb. 4, the Reds were proud to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), a nationwide observance honoring the achievements and impact of women and girls in sports to promote equality and participation.

Twenty-eight young women from the Reds Nike RBI softball teams joined Reds female front-office staff members at Great American Ball Park for an evening of dinner, discussion and interactive workshops. In addition to tying in with NGWSD, the special event coincided with the Reds Community Fund’s Scholars program, which focuses on developing student-athletes into Major League Citizens.

On January 16, 12 minor leaguers in the Reds organization spent time lending a hand in the Cincinnati community. The dozen prospects, who were in town for that weekend’s Redsfest, split up between Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and St. Vincent De Paul food pantry.

Jay Allen II, Cam Collier, Alfredo Duno, Kyle Henley, Mason Neville and Carlos Jorge spent time at Seacrest Studios inside the hospital where they played a version of Pictionary, answered questions, posed for photos and signed autographs. The activities were broadcast throughout the entire hospital for all patients to enjoy.

“It was my second time going there and it’s always a great experience, always good seeing the kids and interacting with them,” Allen II said. “They look up to us, so it's nice to set a good example for those young kids and show them that this dream is achievable.”

Over at St. Vincent De Paul, Luke Hayden, Luke Holman, Tyson Lewis, Nestor Lorant, Mason Morris and JP Ortiz paired up to shop with residents. Lorant and Ortiz were able to assist some of the Spanish-speaking neighbors with their shopping.

The morning wrapped up with all the players meeting at the Reds Youth Academy for a tour and lunch where they also learned about additional service opportunities in Cincinnati.

On January 14, the Reds Community Fund, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Pitch In For Baseball & Softball (PIFBS) distributed close to $70,000 worth of baseball and softball equipment to 24 high schools and 14 youth organizations across Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana.

For the 10th straight year, the partners teamed up to help local high schools and youth organizations in the region and presented the gear to the teams during a distribution event at Griffin Elite in Erlanger, Kentucky. In what has now been a decade of working together, with additional Northern Kentucky support from the R.C. Durr Foundation to further elevate the impact for the third consecutive year, the group has provided over $550,000 in equipment to more than 17,000 local student-athletes.

Reds All-Star pitcher Andrew Abbott served as the event’s special guest and was blown away by the scope of the event.

“I’m really proud to be at something like this, because this donation today helps equal out the playing field a little bit it and represents a lot of what I went through as a kid, as well.”