In Jackie Robinson's GA hometown, Chipper honors 'trailblazer of epic proportion'

A little more than a century after Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Ga., Chipper Jones traveled to the rural southwest Georgia town to observe the iconic pioneer’s birthdate while further aiding a charity that would have also been near and dear to Robinson’s heart.

“Any Boys & Girls Club in Florida and Georgia has been the onus of my focus throughout the life of the Chipper Jones Family Foundation,” Jones said. “The fact that I can extend that focus while being in Jackie Robinson’s hometown makes it even more special.”

Jones served as the keynote speaker for the 12th Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club “A Diamond Affair” fundraising event on Friday night. This event was held on what would have been Robinson’s 106th birthday.

Robinson’s mother moved the family to Pasadena, Calif., when he was still an infant. But Cairo has always celebrated its native son. The Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club provides opportunities for children, many of whom continue to benefit from the courage and fortitude Robinson showed when the former Dodgers star permanently broke baseball's color barrier in 1947.

As Robinson constructed an 11-season Hall of Fame career that was highlighted with the 1949 National League MVP Award, he aided children, much like those who currently benefit from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He and Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella worked as coaches and counselors in the Boy’s Work Department of the Harlem YMCA.

“Jackie was a trailblazer of epic proportion,” Jones said. “It's hard to find anything bad to say about the guy who was a hell of a ballplayer and a hell of a person.”

Jones joined Robinson as a Hall of Famer in 2018. He has spent his post-playing career continuing to give back though his foundation, which has aided The Rally Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club of America, Little League programs and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

“We try to do all we can to give kids with less opportunities than we had, the opportunity to go out there and play baseball,” Jones said. “Every chance I get to help the Boys & Girls Clubs, I will take every opportunity to help as many people and kids as I can.”