Yankees, MLB partner to create inclusive space at Bronx middle school

NEW YORK -- The Yankees and Major League Baseball jointly announced at an event on Monday they have donated $50,000 to build a new sensory room at One World Middle School in the Bronx. The room is expected to be in use sometime next year.

More than 100 kids attended the event, which was held at the school auditorium. Their reaction told the whole story -- when the news was revealed, they all stood up and applauded.

The donation is part of the special 2024 World Series Legacy Project, which aims to provide a sensory-safe place at the school to serve all students, including those who are neurodivergent.

“It’s a great day here in the Bronx and at One World,” said Brian Smith, the Yankees’ senior vice president of corporate and community relations. “We really appreciate MLB’s commitment to the community, and we are honored to combine resources to [the school] to make it happen today."

Patricia Wynne, principal and co-founder of OWMS, was emotional after the donation became public.

“It’s not just building the space; it’s about what we are going to do in terms of building knowledge to a larger population because our kids grow up to be adults on the spectrum," Wynne said. "So what better way to have people learn and gain knowledge and have Major League Baseball and the Yankees bring light to a population [that needs to be recognized]?"

It's not the first time the school and the Yankees have worked together. They established a relationship earlier this year to collaborate on the redesign of a sensory room at Yankee Stadium, which is located at the 300 level. It officially opened during Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Royals. The paintings in the room were created by kids with autism. The goal was to create greater access for baseball fans whose neurodivergence or other needs might make the stimulation of the stadium difficult to navigate.

Valentina Lucre, a senior at the school, created several paintings that are located in the sensory room at Yankee Stadium. One painting is a blend of colors to show her emotions. Lucre is hoping her talents will encourage other people on the spectrum to follow her lead.

“You don’t have to be on the spectrum to use the sensory room,” Lucre said. “The sensory room is open to everybody. Everybody has different reactions to different things. Those paintings are to show that everybody is different.”

Several dignitaries attended Monday’s event, including Royals catcher Salvador Perez, the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, which annually honors extraordinary community service. Perez was selected from a group of 30 candidates -- one from each Major League team -- for an award that honors “extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

Perez, as well as Clemente’s sons, Roberto Jr. and Luis, and former Major Leaguer Dellin Betances, were at the school to witness the announcement of the donation put together by the Yankees and MLB.

“Just to see the MLB and the Yankees partnering up to provide a sensory room in the school and giving the kids the chance to develop in different ways is huge,” said Betances, who is a member of the Commissioner's Ambassador Program. “I grew up in the inner city. I know all the points in helping out. That is what hits home for me.”