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.