#SFGiants Community Highlights — 2022
Each season, the Giants strive to serve our community by raising awareness for important causes, providing memorable experiences for our fans and inspiring the next generation of baseball and softball players. Here are some of our favorite moments from the 2022 season that celebrate the incredible people that make up the Giants Family.
Childhood Cancer Awareness — The Giants were joined by families, nurses and doctors from local Bay Area hospitals, cancer treatment centers and nonprofits who took the field along with players, kicked off the game with the ceremonial first pitch and were featured as honorary Play Ball Kids. Additionally, in lieu of traditional player photos on the scoreboard, Giants players were drawn by children who have faced a cancer diagnosis. Jalynne and Brandon Crawford teamed up with Tiny Turnip to provide special t-shirts for kids battling cancer who were at the game that night.
Girls Night — The Giants hosted the annual Girls Night event that focused on the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, including a pregame panel discussion and announcing the winner of the Alexis T. Busch Award during a pregame ceremony. In recognition and remembrance of Alexis T. Busch, who served as the Giants bat girl in 2000 and 2001 and the first bat girl in MLB history, the award is presented annually to a woman in the Giants organization who has made a contribution to the advancement of girls and women in sports. The 2022 Alexis T. Busch Award winner is Alyssa Nakken. Before the game, the Giants invited women who are leaders in Bay Area sports, from athletes to coaches to executives, who have achieved great success while being difference-makers in their communities to participate in a pregame panel discussion. During the game, the Giants welcomed guests from numerous nonprofit organizations serving girls in their communities and celebrated the 2022 California State Champion College of San Mateo softball team.
Mental Health Awareness — The San Francisco Giants are determined to bring important conversations about mental health to the forefront in their work to end the stigma surrounding mental health. We believe that by supporting those around us, providing resources and openly discussing the value of healthy life habits, we can continue to prioritize mental wellness within the organization and for our community. In partnership with the Giants Mental Health team, the Giants raised awareness in May and in September for the importance of prioritizing mental health. Fans can now access the Giants Mental Health Hub on sfgiants.com/mentalhealth.
Gun Violence Prevention — On June 3, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, the Giants wore an orange ribbon on their uniforms to honor those whose lives have been taken or forever changed by senseless and preventable gun violence. The Giants also teamed up with the Warriors, A’s, 49ers, Sharks, Earthquakes and NBC Sports Bay Area to lend our collective voices to those who are impacted by gun violence each year. In addition to raising awareness, the Giants donated $50,000 to our longtime partner, Everytown for Gun Safety.
Lou Gehrig Day — The Giants joined MLB in honoring the life and legacy of Lou Gehrig and while honoring the strength and courage of those living with ALS and recognizing the families and community members that provide support. A special pregame ceremony included recognition of Giants alum, Jim Poole, who was recently diagnosed with ALS. Jim’s daughter, Courtney, threw out the ceremonial first toss. The ceremony also honored the life of Jim Hilliard, father of Rockies’ Sam Hilliard, who passed away from ALS in September of 2021. As a finalist for the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, Brandon Crawford was able to present a custom Giants-themed wheelchair to a Giants fan living with ALS.
Pride Day — The Giants have been partners with the LGBTQ+ community for decades and are proud to support and create a more inclusive environment. In collaboration with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and for the first time in MLB history, both teams celebrated Pride Month by wearing custom on-field caps that incorporate the Pride colors into each team’s logo. The Giants also wore a Pride patch on their jersey. Highlights of the day included raising the Pride flag, first pitch by Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider, an appearance and book signing by Dale Scott, first out umpire in MLB history, and more.
Tony’s Pizza + George Mark Children’s House –
Brandon Belt, Alex Wood, and Logan Webb teamed up with 13-time World Champion Pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani to create three signature pizzas with partial sales benefiting George Mark Children’s House. George Mark Children’s House serves families with children and young adults facing a life-limiting diagnosis, offering family-centered medical care that emphasizes quality of life in a compassionate, supportive atmosphere. Sales from the pizzas raised $38,130 for George Mark Children’s House.
One Tree Planted & Players for the Planet — Evan Longoria’s season-long partnership with Players for the Planet pledged 50 trees planted for every base hit he had during the 2022 season. Additionally, the Giants and Evan Longoria hosted a tree planting and park clean up event in partnership with One Tree Planted and San Francisco Recreation & Parks. A group of Giants Front office employees, Longoria, and local community partners volunteered to beautify the Youngblood Coleman Playground in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.
The Gift of a Game-Worn Jersey — During a game this season, Logan Webb helped bring a smile to the face of a young Giants fan who was battling cancer. After finishing his outing on the mound, Webb sent his game-worn jersey to Bryce Bazor, who was diagnosed with chondroblastic osteosarcoma.
Veterans of Heart and Armor Foundation — The Giants are proud partners of Heart and Armor, an organization dedicated to protecting the health of veterans, and connecting civilians to the experience of military service. Gabe Kapler and Mike Yastrzemski are longtime supporters of the foundation and spent time with veterans from the Bay Area before a game to talk baseball, service and community.
Landis Sims with Dave Dravecky and Junior Giants — In a collaboration with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the Giants welcomed Landis Sims, who was born without hands or feet, to throw out the first pitch at a game in July. While in San Francisco, Sims participated in a Junior Giants practice and joined Dave Dravecky at a baseball clinic for young kids with disabilities on Treasure Island. Highlights from these events were featured on ABC World News Tonight.
Additional programs and events included Strike Out Violence Day, Salute to the Military, Until There’s A Cure, Step Up to the Plate for Homelessness, African American Heritage Day and more.
The Giants also donated over 52,000 tickets to organizations and community groups to bring people to games in 2022 who may not have had the opportunity to attend otherwise. In addition, autographed memorabilia was donated to hundreds of nonprofit organizations throughout Northern California to assist in fundraising efforts.
Giants Community Fund
The Giants Community Fund uses baseball and softball to promote health, education and character development to propel youth in underserved regions to be positive forces in their communities.
The Giants Community Fund now serves more than 30,000 kids annually — a new record in the Fund’s thirty-one years of service. Through its flagship program, Junior Giants, and newly expanded Junior Giants Schools program, the Fund is working year-round to eliminate the financial barriers youth and families face, making it more accessible than ever to play ball.
Harmon and Sue Burns Scholars: The Giants Community Fund inducted ten Junior Giants entering the eighth grade into the Harmon and Sue Burns Scholarship Program based on their leadership skills, character, academic potential and Junior Giants involvement. As announced on Education Day, the Fund has increased its scholarship commitment, awarding $100,000 annually (10 scholarships of $10,000 each). Meet our incoming and outgoing scholars.
Willie Mays Scholars: The Willie Mays Scholars Program makes college aspirations come true for Black youth in San Francisco. The program seeks to create opportunities for youth to not only overcome racial and educational inequities, but to succeed in high school, college and beyond. On November 15, the Giants Community Fund inducted its second cohort of Willie Mays Scholars. Each scholar will receive a scholarship of up to $20,000 as part of $70,000 worth of support through high school and college that includes hands-on mentoring and tailored wraparound services.
Field Project #25: Willie Mays Junior Giants Fields — Richmond, CA: In May, the Fund teamed up with the City of Richmond, the Hurlbut Benevolent Foundation and the Good Tidings Foundation to renovate the baseball fields at Nicholl Park — renaming them Willie Mays Junior Giants Fields. The three fields feature improved irrigation systems and brand new grass infields and outfields, bases, pitching mounds and a Willie Mays banner.
Field Project #26: Bob Greenberg Junior Giants Field — San Bruno, CA: In June, the Fund teamed up with the City of San Bruno, the Good Tidings Foundation and pitcher Alex Wood to unveil the newly renovated Bob Greenberg Junior Giants Field. The restored field features new grass infields, outfields, bases, dugout roofs, backstop boards, bleachers, cement work and improved irrigation systems.
