Roxbury, MA. (October 12, 2023) – Yawkey Foundation and Good Sports teamed up to provide new baseball and softball equipment to the Roxbury YMCA. To celebrate this partnership, Yawkey Foundation and Good Sports hosted an equipment unveiling experience for the YMCA’s baseball and softball participants at the Roxbury YMCA where participants got to see all the new equipment on display.

This equipment, provided in partnership with Good Sports, a national nonprofit who drives equitable access in youth sports and physical activity for kids, includes bats, helmets, gloves, bases, softballs, and apparel for youth baseball and softball players. In total, 490 pieces of equipment were donated, totaling $17,600 in value. This donation will relieve the financial burden on the YMCA’s staff and participants’ families, by providing the equipment needed for quality baseball and softball programming.

“Thank you to the Yawkey Foundation for partnering with Good Sports to ensure that the kids at the Roxbury YMCA have everything they need to play. Because of this equipment donation, the children will have the opportunity to experience the joy and undeniable impact of playing baseball and softball” – Melissa Harper, Co-Found & CEO.

“Tom and Jean Yawkey loved softball and baseball, not only because they were passionate fans, but also because they understood how the game brought together players, fans and communities – which is clearly just as true today as it was when Tom bought the Red Sox 90 years ago,” said Maureen H. Bleday, CEO of the Yawkey Foundation. “We’re delighted that this partnership with Good Sports and the Roxbury YMCA will increase access to youth sports in Roxbury, especially softball and baseball, and in doing so, perpetuate the Yawkeys’
philanthropic legacy.”

“We’re really proud and grateful for this partnership between the three organizations which by marrying our strengths, will result in high quality access, instruction and equipment for our young people in Roxbury as they are introduced to the joy and life lessons through sport,” said David Shapiro, CEO YMCA of Greater Boston.

About Good Sports
Good Sports drives equitable access in youth sports and physical activity, by supporting children in high-need communities to achieve their greatest potential, on the field and in life. Since 2003, Good Sports has provided more than $100 million in sports equipment, impacting over 9.3 million kids from more than 6,260 youth programs across the country. Good Sports has been awarded a coveted 4-star rating eight consecutive times from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity evaluator, for sound fiscal management, transparency, and accountability. Additionally, Good Sports holds the top-level Platinum seal from GuideStar, and is a Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance accredited charity.

About Yawkey Foundation
The Yawkey Foundation is dedicated to perpetuating the philanthropic legacy of Tom Yawkey and Jean Yawkey, whose eight decades of quiet generosity supported individuals and families in the communities that were closest to their hearts – Massachusetts and Georgetown County, South Carolina. Having awarded more than $550 million to date in charitable grants to organizations focused on Health Care, Education, Human Services, Youth and Amateur Athletics, Arts and Culture, and Conservation and Wildlife, Yawkey Foundation is committed to preserving and sustaining the charitable values of the Yawkeys by investing in impactful nonprofits providing resources, opportunity, and dignity to the vulnerable and underserved. For more information, please visit www.yawkeyfoundation.org and Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.