Matt Kemp hosted 100 youth at a special screening of the movie “42” at the Warner Brothers lot on April 4. Youth from Ladera Little League and Sportsman Little League heard about the legacy and the impact of Jackie Robinson from Kemp and actor Chad Boseman who played the role of Robinson in the movie.

For the third year, the Dodgers played an exhibition game with a higher purpose. On March 21, the Dodgers made a two-hour drive to Tucson to play at Kino Memorial Stadium where the game benefited the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation. Christina-Taylor was the 9-year old daughter of John Green, the Dodger’s National Crosschecker, and granddaughter of longtime big league manager Dallas Green. She was one of six people fatally wounded outside a Tucson shopping center on Jan. 8, 2011 when she joined others to hear from Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

The Dodgers hosted local kids from the Holiday Park Little League and Glendale Youth Project for a Spring Training game and baseball clinic at Camelback Ranch-Glendale on March 19. Dodger outfielder Alex Castellanos, minor league catcher Matt Wallach and coach Manny Mota conducted the clinic for approximately 60 youngsters from a low-income area of Glendale. The clinic took place in the outfield of the main stadium after the day’s game.

Opening weekend at the Dodgers spring training facility at Camelback Ranch-Glendale in Glendale, AZ, featured appearances, autographs and pregame recognitions of several Dodgers Alumni. Tim Leary, Ron Cey, Maury Wills, Steve Yeager as well as current coaches Tim Wallach, Davey Lopes,

Dodgers FanFest was a free event at Dodger Stadium attended by over 25,000 fans featuring player autographs, on-stage interviews, a Kids Zone, interactive games by Playworks, music, and more! This year the Dodgers included Community Relations in the festivities and showcased the many activities and projects the Dodgers lead on behalf of the community.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Community Service Caravan, “Pitching in the Community”, presented by jcpenney, is a civic engagement initiative where the Dodger players, Dodger alumni and employees joined together for a weeklong celebration of service in partnership with community based organizations to give back to the Los Angeles community.

This year we kicked off on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and continued throughout the week in the spirit of Dr. King’s legacy of service. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” The Dodgers answered Dr. King’s call to service by engaging players and alumni with the community on meaningful projects touching on the three pillars the Dodgers have focused their community efforts on.

Dodger alumni started off the Caravan by:
• Painting a Dodger mural with City Year at Belmont High School in LA;
• Reading to children at the Southeast YMCA in Huntington Park;
• Building a community garden with Youth Speak Collective and Maclay Middle School in Pacoima; and
• Leading recreational activities with Playworks at La Tijera Elementary School in Inglewood.

Dodger players continued the Caravan by:
• Preparing healthy meals with culinary arts students at Santee Educational Complex in South LA;
• Engaging with youth on some amazing art projects at Inner City Arts in downtown LA;
• Interacting with the youth of Tobinworld in Glendale; and
• Playing games and signing autographs at the LA Boys & Girls Club in Lincoln Heights.

The Los Angeles Dodgers take tremendous pride in serving our fans and understand that we have a unique opportunity to be active participants in the community.

Clayton Kershaw, Shawn Tolleson and others kept up their work in Zambia throughout the week. The next school visit was Grace School in the Ngombe community.

The group was greeted by hundreds of children yelling “muzungus” (white people) and huge smiles. They couldn’t wait for us to get off the bus. As we did, we were hugged tight. We brought soccer balls and bubbles and immediately each member of the group had a following. Some kids rushed to the boys to kick a ball around, some chased bubbles – a new experience for sure. Ellen Kershaw held court with about ten children who just listened to her talk, answered questions and simply got hugs.

These children love to take photos. They rush over when they see a camera. You say “Sekalayla” (smile) and they give huge smiles and tons of giggles. The giggles are the best sounds in the world when you’re in a poor community like theirs. You take a picture and they are anxious to have a look. They giggle some more. However, it’s likely that they have never seen themselves and they probably don’t know which is them in the photo so you point them out. More giggles.

The children are happy to have us visit and play. The Kershaw group is happy to make a difference in these kids’ lives, even in the smallest way.

The Los Angeles Dodgers take tremendous pride in serving our fans and understand that we have a unique opportunity to be active participants in the community – and we are committed to do just that! Check back here often to read about our efforts to make a difference in the community, focusing on sports and recreation; literacy and education; and health and wellness.