Cubs Charities’ holiday giving in full swing

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The final two months of the year are always a busy time for Cubs Charities, which has an array of programs throughout the holiday season to impact people around Chicago. More important is the fact that the work being done is the culmination of events and initiatives that take place all year long.

“This year, we’re on track for about 1,700 hours of associate volunteer hours,” said Jennifer Dedes-Nowak, assistant director of Cubs Charities. “And then with Cubs Charities, we also set up volunteer opportunities for our kids that participate in our programs to give back, and they are on track for about 550 hours. It’s more than double last year. That’s exciting.”

Cubs Charities -- currently a finalist for the Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence -- got its November events rolling by teaming with Kaboom! to help build a playground from scratch at the McCormick YMCA in the city. Dedes-Nowak called that project “a really fun way to start off the month."

Here are some other events Cubs Charities has happening this holiday season:

? Last week, Cubs Charities hosted its Cubs Scholars group for a Thanksgiving dinner and workshop. The 13 scholars from this year’s class recently attended an event to do in-person interviews with colleges and universities.

? On Wednesday of this past week, Cubs Charities partnered with National Runaway Safeline (which provides assistance to runaway, homeless and at-risk youth) and Smoke Daddy BBQ in Wrigleyville to pack and deliver more than 500 meals to shelters around Chicago.

? Cubs Charities also teamed up with officers from the 19th District last week to host a Thanksgiving lunch with senior citizens in the Lakeview neighborhood.

? Last week, Cubs associates got together in the team’s offices to put together meals as part of the year-long partnership with Blessings in a Backpack and the Pedersen-McCormick Boys & Girls Club. The meals were delivered to kids in need over the weekend.

? In December, Cubs Charities will help with baking at Misericordia’s Hearts and Flour Bakery. There will also be two events (one to distribute food and another to sort/pack food) with the Nourishing Hope program.

Throughout the year, Cubs players have opportunities to help out with a variety of events. At the upcoming Cubs Convention (Jan. 17-19), players help out at a clinic for the Cubs Jr. All-Stars program. Dedes-Nowak said pitcher Jordan Wicks, in particular, stepped up this past season as a Nike ambassador for the R.B.I. (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program with the Cubs.

“[Wicks] really was involved with the R.B.I. team,” Dedes-Nowak said. “He did a school visit. He was a part of R.B.I. family day. He did a few visits over the summer to our R.B.I. program and he greeted our kids when they came to the ballpark. He’s kind of our top ambassador for R.B.I.”

The Cubs are one of five finalists for the Selig Award, with the winner being unveiled during the Winter Meetings in December. Cubs Charities earned the nomination this year for its CASE (Careers As Sports Executives) program, which aims to help create initial pathways into the sports industry for aspiring students.

“We have a Chicago chapter,” Dedes-Nowak said of the program, which was created in 2018. “But it’s replicating nationally. We’re excited about how it’s growing across baseball. It’s a model for how we can bring more diversity into baseball front offices.”