A significant portion of the donation from MLB and the Royals remains in the Kansas City area to fund a number of worthy projects and causes including the following:
With assistance from Magical Builders, renovations were made to the club's interior and exterior, including new classrooms and restrooms, an expanded kitchen, landscaping improvements, furniture and an improved HVAC system.
MLB All-Star Legacy funding helped renovate two baseball fields owned by the Kansas City (Mo.) Parks and Recreation Department: Mulkey Square Park and Satchel Paige Stadium. Renovations included the installation of new irrigation systems, infield and outfield maintenance, fencing construction and installation, backstops, dugouts and other improvements to the general facility surrounding each field. The fields will be regularly used by local Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) leagues and Guadalupe Center Youth Baseball, among others. During MLB All-Star Week, Satchel Paige Stadium was the site of the opening ceremonies of the Jr. RBI Classic, an event designed to provide hundreds of young RBI baseball and softball players an opportunity to participate in MLB All-Star Week.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City operates a local RBI league that serves nearly 800 players. The Baseball Tomorrow Fund awarded BGCGKC a grant of $50,000 to provide funding for field renovations at Cleveland Park, including infield mix, laser grading and drainage surrounding the four fields at the park. The MO-KAN chapter of the Sports Turf Managers Association provided volunteer labor to complete the project. Jr. RBI Classic games were played on the fields at Cleveland Park. BTF is a joint initiative between the Major League Baseball Players Association and MLB designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support field renovation and construction projects, equipment and uniform purchases, coaches' training material and other selected program expenses.
The 2012 MLB-Royals All-Star Scholars were recognized by members of the Royals front office during the Shining Star Awards Celebration at the Kauffman Conference Center on May 3.
Beginning in 2012, five high school seniors per year will be identified as MLB-Royals All-Star Scholars. The students are selected from the 20/20 Leadership program, which serves students from moderate- to low-income families to educate and expose them to community issues, develop personal and leadership skills and build community-wide relationships. The selected students will have the opportunity for a $2,500 per-year scholarship, renewable up to four years.
The inaugural scholarship winners were announced at the Shining Star Awards Celebration at the Kauffman Conference Center on May 3 and were recognized during All-Star Week in Kansas City.
The 2012 MLB-Royals All-Star Scholars are:
In partnership with Rebuilding Together, this project provides special services for female veterans and all veterans afflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through the creation of family-friendly, baseball-themed play areas in the waiting area of the clinic for patients' children, improved aesthetics of the clinic offices and meeting areas, and enhanced landscaping surrounding the facility, which was recently added to the Kansas City VA Medical Center system. Bank of America, the official bank of Major League Baseball, supported this project both financially and through employee volunteerism.
Volunteers, primarily from Bank of America, assisted with landscaping projects and painted portions of the VA Honor Annex interior during a work day on Saturday, June 9.
Kevin Uhlich, Royals Sr. Vice President-Business Operations, addressed members of the media and project volunteers during the launch for the 2012 MLB All-Star Legacy Rebuilding Together project to renovate the Kansas City VA Honor Annex. The Kansas City VA hosted the event, which took place on Saturday, June 9.
Funding for the project will help this daycare center, which serves low-income families, improve its after-school and summer enrichment programs. Renovations to the facility's infrastructure included replacing ceiling, drywall, glass and windows, installing new doors, painting and electrical work, and sprinkler relocation. The mission of Operation Breakthrough is to help children who are living in poverty develop to their fullest potential by providing them a safe, loving and educational environment.
Construction crews from Performance Contracting, Inc. and JE Dunn Construction Company are donating their time to work on the Operation Breakthrough renovation. On May 19, Johnny Giavotella and Billy Butler surprised Sister Berta Sailor from Operation Breakthrough and workers with pizza to thank them for their efforts.
All-Star Legacy funds were used to create a new, dynamic traveling exhibit that takes a historical look through photos, videos and text at Negro Leagues players who, after the integration of baseball, became MLB All-Stars. After its premiere in Kansas City, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is developing a three-to-five year national tour of the exhibition, with plans to make it available in future All-Star Game cities. In addition, a portion of the exhibit will be integrated into the current, permanent Major League Baseball section of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
