One day after taking the mound at Great American Ball Park for 2025 Opening Day, Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene was out in the community providing new equipment for over 400 youth baseball and softball players.
On March 28, Greene used his off-day to welcome local kids ages 8-17 to the Madisonville Recreation Center. The young ballplayers were gifted an assortment of equipment ranging from baseball cleats and fielding gloves to bats, bags and more.
Cincinnati Public Schools helped coordinate visits from many of their varsity teams despite being on spring break. Many neighborhood teams, including the Madisonville Braves and West End Reds, were on hand. Representatives from the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League also participated, distributing Hunter Greene "Character Cards" to each young athlete.
A line spilled out the door and into the full parking lot before the event started, only shortening three hours later once every child in attendance had received their swag and the special opportunity to meet the Reds' ace. It was a fun-filled afternoon with a DJ onsite along with free snacks, a Graeter¡¯s Ice Cream truck and additional entertainment for the duration of the event.
For something that came from soup to nuts in just four weeks, it had the look and feel of a day that had been planned out for months as the 2024 All-Star stood in a gymnasium surrounded by tables full of free gear and hundreds of kids with smiles on their faces.
¡°It¡¯s always fun to see the kids¡¯ reactions and be able to add a light in their life with baseball,¡± Greene said. ¡°It always made me feel special as a kid coming through youth baseball to get new stuff. Baseball equipment is very expensive, and it¡¯s tough on parents to provide the best for their children. So if I can help in any way, I try to do my best.¡±
The idea started when Greene¡¯s father, Russell, reached out to Sally Grimes, executive director at Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC), at the end of February. ABC is an organization that provides free extracurricular activities and layers of support for Cincinnati Public Schools. Grimes and her team are constantly looking for ways to connect the community with the kids and connect the kids to the resources that they need.
The equipment drive checked those boxes and then some, and the final product proved it to be a home run.
¡°This is what we live for: To see kids come out, meet these celebrity players and get some gear that they most likely would not be able to afford otherwise,¡± Grimes said. ¡°Now, they can go back to their schools and have the proper gear to play their sports. Our hope is that it will help keep them engaged in their activities and keep them going all the way through 12th grade.
"But more importantly, what it really comes down to is these kids feeling special enough that somebody like Hunter Greene would come out and spend a day doing this.¡±
For Greene, this was one of countless community initiatives he has helped create or been involved with since being drafted by the Reds in 2017. But the scope of this event was the 25-year-old¡¯s biggest one to date in Cincinnati.
¡°As soon as I turned into the parking lot, I was like, ¡®Wow.¡¯ To see all the kids and families lined up, especially all the parents willing to make time for this event and bring them out, it means a lot to me,¡± Greene said.
Greene¡¯s parents, Russell and Senta, were also at the rec center and helped facilitate operations throughout the afternoon. They instilled in Hunter at an early age the importance and value of giving back, so what the community witnessed was nothing new for the proud mom and dad. Their son has lived a life of service since he was 7 years old.
¡°Philanthropy has always been a focus of mine,¡± Greene said. ¡°Being able to build my connections and resources over the years as my career has continued to grow has made it a lot easier to provide a great experience for children. And Cincinnati has made it very easy to give back. Their relationships throughout the city have been great and made it easier logistically and relationship-wise to execute events like today.¡±
In addition to ABC, the Greene family partnered with Full Circle Consulting System, Inc. and JustBats to make the equipment drive possible.