Big leaguers, prospects join Reds Community Fund in giving back to local youth sports

On January 22, the Reds Community Fund, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Pitch In For Baseball & Softball (PIFBS) distributed more than $50,000 worth of baseball and softball equipment to 24 Northern Kentucky, Southeast Indiana and Ohio high schools, along with four youth sports organizations.

Wednesday¡¯s event at Griffin Elite in Erlanger, Ky., marked the ninth consecutive year these three partners have teamed up to help local high schools and youth organizations in the Tri-State area. In what has been nearly a decade of working together, they have provided over $500,000 in equipment to more than 20,000 local student-athletes. And this year, the R.C. Durr Foundation joined the initiative to broaden the scope and elevate the impact of the event.

¡°This program has grown considerably over the past nine years and remains one of our most unique outcomes,¡± Reds community fund executive director Charley Frank said. ¡°It highlights our strategic partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare to connect with different schools and youth programs in Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana and benefits greatly from the expertise of Pitch In For Baseball & Softball to help make our investment go considerably further. The R.C. Durr Foundation also stepped up this year to help us reach even more kids and communities this past year.¡±

An unprecedented number of Reds guests were in attendance, as seven players and prospects participated in the event. Reds Major Leaguers included pitcher Emilio Pag¨¢n, outfielder Jacob Hurtubise, infielder Santiago Espinal and, recently acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, infielder Gavin Lux. They were joined by three of the Reds top prospects in Chase Burns (No. 1), Cam Collier (No. 5) and Leo Balcazar (No. 27). All seven players addressed the crowd during their visit. The players were in town in conjunction with the annual Reds Caravan.

Burns was selected by the Reds second overall in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Wake Forest University last summer. Other than flying into Cincinnati to sign his contract, the Caravan was the 22-year-old¡¯s first time really getting to experience the area, and he was excited to be part of such an important event.

¡°Not being far from playing high school and college, I know how much it means to younger kids being able to get some new equipment and to have guys like us here to support it,¡± Burns said. ¡°Feel good, play good, so for these kids to have the proper equipment to go out there and play the game is a great opportunity. I appreciate everyone that chipped in to make this happen for these schools.¡±

The 24 Northern Kentucky, Southeast Indiana and Ohio high schools that benefitted from the equipment drive were Augusta, Bellevue, Boone County, Campbell County, Dayton, Dixie Heights, East Central, Gallatin County, Grant County, Holy Cross, Covington Holmes, Lawrenceburg, Lloyd Memorial, Ludlow, Newport, Newport Central Catholic, Pendleton County, Scott, South Dearborn, South Ripley, Milan, Switzerland County, Rising Sun and Taylor. In addition, Campbell County Knothole, Ludlow Athletic Club, Bellevue Vets and Grant County Little League received support.

¡°To see this many people here compared to the group we started with just a short nine years ago, this event has grown so much over the years,¡± St. Elizabeth¡¯s director of sports medicine/athletic training Scott Helton said. ¡°A lot of organizations talk about community, but what makes today so special is we see that in action. St. Elizabeth¡¯s is just grateful to be able to partner with Charley and the Community Fund, the R.C. Durr Foundation and Pitch In For Baseball & Softball.¡±

The Reds Community Fund and St. Elizabeth Healthcare both invest dollars annually in the program to assist amateur baseball and softball in Greater Cincinnati, and PIFBS helps maximize the investment with their relationships with top equipment manufacturers. Donated equipment included baseballs, softballs, bats, helmets, gloves, cleats, catcher¡¯s gear, portable practice nets, compression sleeves and more.

¡°There is so much personal equipment that players need to play baseball and softball, more than any other sport that we offer, so this is a huge resource and asset for our school and community,¡± Ludlow High School athletic director Jodi Schmidt said. ¡°It allows us to help take that burden off our families, and the school can allocate the money that would have otherwise gone toward equipment for some additional things that are needed.¡±

The annual equipment drive is one of many events spearheaded by PIFBS, a global nonprofit based out of Philadelphia. The organization seeks to remove equipment as a barrier to playing baseball and softball by providing gear to underprivileged and at-risk kids in schools throughout the country and internationally. PIFBS has made equipment available to over 2 million kids across all 50 states and 119 countries around the world.

¡°The school-based program here in Northern Kentucky is one of the main ways we ensure equipment is never a barrier to play,¡± PIFBS director of development John Blitzer said. ¡°This past year, we assisted 83 local baseball and softball teams, helping over 1,000 kids get access to this equipment. And the most important results were off the field. Over 66% of those students saw improved school attendance, and 73% of those same students saw their grades going up. That is the impact of this incredible partnership.¡±

Jean Mize, chief operating officer of the R.C. Durr Foundation, was thrilled to get involved this year and help drive positive results on and off the field.

¡°The R.C. Durr Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Northern Kentucky and improving the health of our youth, particularly those that are in baseball and softball. We¡¯re happy to do what we can to make sure the most number of kids can play, so that¡¯s what attracted us to this event,¡± Mize said. ¡°And I was interested to hear that kids who participate in sports have better attendance records and better grades, so it is quite the payoff for a foundation to know that you¡¯ve helped not only with their physical health but with their academics as well.¡±

Beyond the Reds Community Fund, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, PIFBS and the R.C. Durr Foundation, the event is also made possible through a partnership with In-Game Sports. The regional amateur sports event group helps coordinate the communication with the schools and manages the event setup at Griffin Elite.