|
Granderson’s selection was announced by Major League Baseball
Commissioner Rob Manfred at a press conference prior to Game
Three of the 112th World Series between the Chicago Cubs and
Cleveland Indians.
“Curtis Granderson is an outstanding ambassador for our game and
a positive role model for kids,” said Manfred.
“His commitment to the many communities that have touched his
life and the great impact of these efforts makes him a very
deserving recipient of our most prestigious award."
Granderson, a native of Lynwood, Illinois, has been a
significant contributor within every community in which he has
played and lived.
In 2007, he created the Grand Kids Foundation to improve
educational experiences for young people nationwide and to
establish additional baseball opportunities for inner-city youth
in his hometown of Chicago.
Granderson donated $5 million toward a state-of-the-art
indoor/outdoor youth baseball academy at his alma mater, the
University of Illinois at Chicago, which provides some 10,000
youth with a chance to play in a safe environment year-round.
The outfielder also holds multiple baseball clinics throughout
the year in Chicago, his baseball home in New York and his
spring training home in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
The award honoring major league players for their philanthropic
work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award,” but was
renamed the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973.
Hall of Famer Clemente, a 15-time All-Star outfielder for the
Pittsburgh Pirates, died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972
while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in
Nicaragua.
(Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Andrew Both)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
