News
Rangers chip in to show gratitude
Players, management work together to give back to community
Michael Young hands out gift cards at a Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth luncheon. (Texas Rangers)
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com
11/25/09 5:03 PM EST
FORT WORTH, Tex. -- On a cold and windy November afternoon, Rangers pitchers Kevin Millwood and Brandon McCarthy, infielder Michael Young and dugout coach Jackie Moore stopped by to have lunch at Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth. They were joined in the cafeteria by about 85 disadvantaged people who were there for a holiday lunch of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green-bean casserole and rolls. When they were done, Millwood and McCarthy presented each of those in attendance an uncooked turkey to take home for the holiday. Young added a Kroger's gift certificate for the rest of the meal.
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Attendees also received baseball caps, autographs and pictures. As usual at such functions, team mascot Ranger Captain was a big hit with the audience.
"To be able to help out during Thanksgiving and the holidays is special," Young said. "Fans come out during the summer and show their support, so during the holidays, it's our time to show our support. We love it; having a day to talk to the fans, share a meal with them during the holiday season and some smiles is great." Two days earlier, pitchers Scott Feldman and Tommy Hunter were at the SafeHaven of Tarrant County to distribute blankets and attend a dinner at the emergency center for victims of domestic violence. On Dec. 10, the Rangers will host their seventh annual Toys for Tots Finale at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Current and former Rangers players will be on hand to sign autographs for fans who want to bring buy new unwrapped toys. The events are part of the Rangers' annual efforts to help in their community during the holiday season. But the work of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, founded in 1991, is a year-round endeavor, and in 2009, the focus is on improving the lives of children in the community. "We have four areas of concern," Rangers vice president Dale Petroskey said. "Youth education, which includes scholarships and things in school; youth baseball, getting kids involved in area baseball program and learning life lessons that are found in baseball; youth in crisis and youth health." One of the many programs the Rangers are working on in Dallas is getting the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program going along with the one in Arlington and restarting the one in Fort Worth. Dallas has been the largest city in the country without an RBI program, but over 1,700 children are expected to play this upcoming season. Michael Young and Marlon Byrd helped provide equipment for the program. The Kevin Millwood Texas Rangers Ballpark, built for the Arlington Boys & Girls Club, is the latest youth facility opened by the Foundation to benefit children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Rangers will also continue to work with Big Brothers & Big Sisters and Snowball Express, an organization that works with the children of fallen military heroes. They also host a summer academy for children from the Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth. They will continue to fund the education for deserving local students through the Jackie Robinson, Johnny Oates, Mark Holtz, Nolan Ryan and Richard Greene Scholarship programs. Individual players also fund various scholarship initiatives. The Rangers have also founded the Texas Rangers Medical Center of Arlington Fitness All-Stars, which teams up with the Arlington Independent School District to teach children the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. A number of Rangers players devote a significant amount of time, money and energy toward endeavors that help children, including Young's involvement in Wipe Out Kids Cancer, Kinsler's work with the Sunshine Kids and C.J. Wilson's Guitar Hero events that benefit Children's Hospital. The main fund-raising events for the Rangers Foundation continue to be the annual Sluggers of the West Awards Dinner in January, the Welcome Home Luncheon in April and the Park Place Triple Play Event in May. But the Rangers are also opening their Foundation to the community and allowing fans to become contributing members for as little as $25 a year. "We want it to be a grass-roots organization and give people a chance to be a part of what the Texas Rangers are doing in the community," Petroskey said.T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
