White Sox Charities in the Community

White Sox in the Community

The White Sox understand that professional athletes have a platform to reach and inspire youth. Sox players have made Chicago their home and want to welcome the community with open arms, especially those who do not have the means to attend a ballgame on their own.

Here are some examples of how team members and front office staff give back through mentorship opportunities:

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

The White Sox fulfilled seven year old Alex Estrada's "ultimate wish" by providing him with a one-of-a-kind experience at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Lurie Children's Hospital patient was surprised at daycare with a limousine ride to the ballpark, where he played Mario Cart with Yolmer Sánchez and Héctor Santiago in the clubhouse and ran around the bases after hitting a "home run for life."

Abreu's Amigos

Jose Abreu launched Abreu's Amigos in 2015 in partnership with the Easterseals Academy. The program provides regular opportunities for students with special needs to develop social skills in a recreational setting through field trips to the ballpark. In 2018, Abreu kicked off the fourth year of the program by meeting with the "Good Guys Club" - a group of Easterseals students working on social skills, friendship and anti-bullying. Since its inception, nearly 100 Easterseals students have visited the ballpark.

Anderson's League of Leaders

Tim Anderson and his wife Bria created Anderson's League of Leaders in 2017. The program focuses on building character among youth and supports Youth Guidance's becoming a Man (BAM) and Working on Womanhood (WOW) programs. In 2018, Tim and Bria accompanied BAM students to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO; welcomed students on field prior to Sox games; held two back-to-school events providing free haircuts and school supplies for youth in Tim's hometown of Tuscaloosa, AL, and Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood; and presented a $10,000 check to support Youth Guidance.

Club 17

In 2017, White Sox Manager Rick Renteria and his wife Ilene created the Club 17 program to invite youth from underserved Chicago communities to White Sox games. Since its inception, the Renteria's have welcomed nearly 150 youth to the ballpark for all-expenses paid White Sox experiences. The partnership continued in 2018 with Choose to Change (C2C), a program implemented by Youth Advocate Programs and Children's Home + Aid. The Renteria's have helped C2C reward students in their five-month program who have shown improvements through reduced criminal and violent behavior as well as improved academic achievement.

University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital

Each season, the White Sox invite teenage oncology patients at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital to experience an unforgettable day at the ballpark. The one-of-a-kind experience includes watching batting practice from the field and enjoying the game from a suite while spending time away from the hospital with doctors and nurses. The program was created to provide teens with the opportunity to enjoy a baseball game without having to worry about their diagnosis.

Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Ronald McDonald Houses

White Sox front office staff and Volunteer Corps members prepared meals at all five Ronald McDonald Houses in the Chicagoland area. Pitchers Carson Fulmer and Michael Kopech as well as infielder Nicky Delmonico visited Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children's to meet patients and their families to sign autographs and provide families with blankets and ticket vouchers.

Working in the Schools (WITS)

For the past 10 years, nearly 40 front office staff members volunteer their lunch breaks once a week to read with third grade students at McLellan Elementary School through this literacy program. WITS midday mentoring students have consistently outpaced non-WITS students in reading level growth.