April 14, 2019

Official Press Release from Jay Care Foundation

JAYS CARE INVESTS MORE THAN $1.3 MILLION IN COMMUNITY BASEBALL INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS CANADA

As announced on Blue Jays Central today, JAYS CARE FOUNDATION, the charitable arm of the TORONTO BLUE JAYS, will make an infrastructure investment of $1.3 million to benefit Canadian children and youth through its Field Of Dreams program.

Fifteen organizations located across five provinces and one territory will receive funding to build, enhance, and refurbish baseball diamonds where children and youth can develop important life skills and learn from positive role models. In the last five years, Jays Care has committed nearly $8 million to 66 infrastructure projects across Canada.

“We are very impressed with the diverse group of organizations receiving funding through our Jays Care Field Of Dreams grants this year,” said Robert Witchel, Executive Director, Jays Care Foundation. “With recipients spanning the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific to Baffin Bay in the Arctic Circle, these investments move us one step closer to our goal of a level playing field for all Canadian children and youth.”

The following communities and organizations have been selected as Jays Care’s 2019 Field Of Dreams grant recipients:

1) Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Angels Hardball Association

2) Abegweit First Nation, PEI – Abegweit Mi’kmaw Nation

3) Assiginack, ON – Township of Assiginack

4) Chelsea, QC – Municipality of Chelsea

5) Guelph, ON – Ponsonby Recreation Club Inc.

6) Ituna, SK – Ituna & District Regional Park

7) Kahnawake, QC – Mohawk Council of Kahnawake

8) Lac-Mégantic, QC – Association de Baseball Mineur de Lac-Mégantic

9) Langley, BC – Langley Blaze Baseball Association

10) Moose Cree First Nation, ON – Moose Cree First Nation

11) Ottawa, ON – East Nepean Baseball Association

12) Pond Inlet, NU – Recreation Department of Pond Inlet

13) Quinte West, ON – Quinte Challenger Baseball

14) Swift Current, SK – Swift Current Minor Baseball

15) Toronto, ON – Bloordale Baseball League

About Jays Care Foundation

Used intentionally, baseball has the power to create lasting social change for children and youth. That is why we help kids get involved in the game, build safe spaces in which they can play, and work with like-minded organizations to design and lead comprehensive programs that address the needs of marginalized children and youth across Canada. Jays Care Foundation has been recognized with the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy (2014), the Beyond Sport Sports Team of the Year Award (2013), and the MLB Commissioner's Award for Philanthropic Excellence (2012).