Last Tuesday, September 29th, was a big day for the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation:
Today's the day we open our 50th YDP! Thanks @Cubs @UnderArmour @Sports_Fields @ChicagoParks for making this happen! pic.twitter.com/i9l6GjBkHk
— Brooke Austin (@Brooke_CRSF) September 29, 2015With the unveiling of Freedom Field at Marquette Park in Chicago, we celebrated reaching our goal of completing 50 Youth Development Parks in five years! The goal of the Youth Development Park Initiative is to create clean, safe spaces for kids to play all across the country.
September 29 was also Cal, Sr. Day, a day when we invite our partners to honor Cal, Sr.’s memory by hosting an event with kids in their communities. They played Quickball, they cleaned up their neighborhoods, they played games with kids who had special needs, they volunteered or performed acts of kindness for others in their communities, and so much more. Here are a few highlights…
Today we join the @CalRipkenSrFdn in honoring Cal, Sr. for helping young people thrive on & off the field! #CalSrDay pic.twitter.com/wiVE8C7g6e
— BGCDayton (@BGCDayton) September 29, 2015
Great day of community service at our Smilow-Burroughs Clubhouse in honor of #CalSrDay! @CalRipkenSrFdn #bridgeport pic.twitter.com/P3ARTt3nTT
— Wakeman B&G Club (@WakemanBGC) September 29, 2015
@Angels Coach Dino Ebel passing on the lessons of the game to the youth of @AngelsRBI Our salute to #CalSrDay pic.twitter.com/LHW06ArTWa
— Angels RBI League (@AngelsRBI) September 29, 2015
We were happy to host the @CalRipkenSrFdn at our Clubs this summer! #CalSrDay pic.twitter.com/UsJr8Qflhq
— Boys & Girls Clubs (@BGCMilwaukee) September 29, 2015
Our staff proudly celebrates Cal Ripken, Sr. Day with a neighborhood cleanup, and a game of quickball. #CalSrDay pic.twitter.com/HGJ6PyFQEb
— Neighborhood House (@NeighborMKE) September 29, 2015
SpringSpirit Baseball, another YDP partner, held a clean-up and then played some Quickball:
Quickball for #CalSrDay @Janice_CRSF @CalRipkenSrFdn pic.twitter.com/SuMW2iThoA
— SpringSpirit (@springspiritbb) September 29, 2015
Our friends at Living Classrooms, home to the Patterson Park Youth Sports Center Powered by Under Armour, spoke with their kids about Cal, Sr. and his legacy. Then the kids who attended #CRSFcamp in the past led the younger kids in a game of Quickball!
While many of our east coast partners had to adjust their plans due to heavy rain, they didn’t let that stop them! Many simply moved their activities indoors. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula were all ready to go with their rain plan. Our friends at United Water teamed up with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Pennsylvania to host a really unique event to teach the kids about the importance of water conservation and taking care of our environment!
We made a water resources presentation at the Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg today in honor of Cal Ripken, Sr. pic.twitter.com/rrisk0r1xp
— United Water PA (@UnitedWaterPA) September 30, 2015
And in Charlotte, NC, 2xSalt introduced their kids to Bubble Soccer, following a lesson on leadership with mentors from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Many also reached out to others in their community. Sunshine Ballpark in Fredericksburg, Virginia, hosted a skills clinic for children with special needs. Weldon City Schools in North Carolina hosted a baseball game and invited students with special needs to participate. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Zanesville in Ohio challenged their bigs and littles to come up with and perform acts of kindness for someone in their community.
And these are not even all of the events hosted on Cal, Sr. Day but all in all, it was a successful day of fun, service, and bringing communities together! Thank you to all of our partners who made it such a great day and who carry on Cal, Sr.’s legacy every day with the kids they serve!