Adrian Gonzalez’s Viva Los Dodgers hosted families from The Mothers of East LA, an organization made up of mothers and allies dedicated to creating a more stable quality of life through environmental protection and community development for families throughout Los Angeles’ Eastside.

The Dodgers also recognized outstanding leadership and service in the Latino and greater Los Angeles community with the “Heroe de la Comunidad” award. The July 28 recipient was Carlos Vaquerano, Executive Director – Salvadoran American Leadership & Educational Fund (SALEF). SALEF’s mission is to promote the civic participation and representation of the Salvadoran and other Latino communities in the U.S.

As part of Korean Heritage Day on July, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy of Los Angeles was honored as the Dodgers Veteran of the Game. Cuddy is American born and daughter of one of California’s first Korean immigrant families. Her father Dosan Ahn Chang Ho and her mother Yi Hye Ryon (Helen Ahn) were the first married couple to come to the US from Korea in 1902. Dosan was a freedom fighter who dedicated his life to save Korea from Japanese imperialism. Her mother was a central figure in the early Korean community in Southern California. Helen Ahn instilled patriotism for Korea and America in Susan.

Cuddy enlisted in 1942 to defend the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was stationed across the country serving as a WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) Link Instructor training Naval Pilots in Air Combat and Gunnery tactics. Cuddy worked with U.S. Navy Intelligence and become the Division Director for the National Security Agency. She worked on many top secret projects for the Department of Defense and other agencies during her service with the United States Government. Her accolades include the 2003 Women of the Year from the California State Assembly and the American Courage Award from the Asian American Justice Center in Washington, DC.

Korean Heritage Day also included pre-game a pregame performance by members of the Korean mega-group Girls’ Generation and the National Korean Taekwondo Team. “American Idol” 2012 finalist Heejun sang “God Bless America.” Following the game Hyun-Jin Ryu and Girls’ Generation were named as honorary ambassadors of Korean Tourism.

As part of MLB Players Trust Buses for Baseball, 50 youth from A Better LA visited batting practice and were greeted by Dodger players Chris Capuano, Matt Kemp, Nick Punto, Yasiel Puig, Tim Federowicz and Andre Ethier. The kids received t-shirts and meal vouchers. Buses for Baseball gives underprivileged kids throughout the United States and Canada the chance to attend a Major League game as personal guests of the players. A Better LA, founded by NFL coach Pete Carroll, is a nonprofit organization that supports community-based solutions to restore peace, save lives, and give Angelenos living in inner city LA the resources they need in order to thrive.

On Saturday, July 20th, Dodger employees joined hundreds of corporate and community volunteers to explore the heart of LA’s urban core for LA Work’s 3rd Annual Service Crawl. Dodger employees engaged in service and completed significant service projects at LAPD, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. At each site, the Dodgers learned about the mission of the organizations and the services they provide to communities across Los Angeles. After providing valuable hands-on support to the organization, volunteers solved a clue to unlock the location of their next volunteer project.

L.A. Works is a nonprofit, volunteer action center that creates and implements hands-on community service projects throughout the greater Los Angeles area. They empower Angelenos to address pressing social issues through volunteerism and community collaborations. Tens of thousands of committed volunteers together with thousands of civic, nonprofit and business partners have enabled L.A. Works to make a significant, visible and lasting contribution to Los Angeles. http://www.laworks.com

Jacob Landis, a cochlear implant (CI) recipient, spent his summer riding across the country visiting major league stadiums in a quest to raise $200,000 for various non-profit organizations that provide chchlear implants to children in need. On July 14, Jacob’s Ride brought him to Dodger Stadium where he visited with pitcher Chris Capuano and his wife Sarah before the game. Sarah’s mother works for the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf in northern California where most children have cochlear implants.

Adrian Gonzalez’s Viva Los Dodgers hosted families from Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE), an organization whose mission is to connect families, schools and community as partners to advance the education of every child through parent engagement. Their vision is to create a community in which parents and educators collaborate to transform every child’s educational environment, both at home and at school, so that all children can achieve their greatest academic potential. Jose Collazo, a parent and community leader with PIQE was recognized at Viva Los Dodgers as the Dodgers Heroe de la Comunidad.

On July 13, after the game, the Dodgers hosted a screening of the movie “42.” All fans with tickets to that game were invited to stay to enjoy the movie on the new high definition video boards. Through the Commissioner’s Community Initiative, the Dodgers donated almost 800 tickets to various community organizations so that youth and families who might not otherwise be able to attend a game or a movie would have the opportunity. “42” depicts the true story of an American legend and Hall of Fame Dodger Jackie Robinson, who was the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. The movie focuses on his life immediately leading up to, and during his first season, 1947.

Eleanor Wigley, 98, was born in Nebraska and moved to Los Angeles at a young age. She graduated from Fairfax High School and worked for the phone company for more than 20 years. Eleanor and her husband purhcased a home in Arcadia near the Arboretum in 1950 and lived there until he passed away in 1978. She still lives in Arcadia today. Eleanor has attended Dodger games for many years beginning at the Coliseum.

She was brought to the Friday, July 12 game, as a complete surprise, by her son Phil, daughter-in-law Ina, grandson Duncan and great-grandson Blake. Even more surprising for her was being taken down to the field where she met Ron Cey, Maury Wills and her favorite Dodger, Andre Ethier.