Cubs Charities starting 2022 season strong with Diamond Project
CHICAGO (BVM) — It is often said that baseball is America’s favorite pastime. However true that statement might be, everyone doesn’t always have easy and reliable access to the sport.
Cubs Charities is looking to change that. The organization is an extension of the Chicago Cubs and there are six different programs that make up the charity group: Cubs Jr. All-Stars, CASE Study Program, Cubs Scholars, Cubs Care, Cubs RBI, and the Diamond Project. Each one is aimed at helping residents of Chicago through the power of sports.
The Diamond Project, one of the newer programs, has the goal of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to play baseball or softball, with a safe field and proper equipment, to provide a healthy environment to play and the opportunity to foster a healthy love for the beautiful game.
The program was founded in 2014 and since then the Diamond Project has committed more than $9,800,000 to fund 103 capital improvement projects and more than $1,000,000 in grants to 79 youth baseball and softball programs to support operations and equipment needs in 60 of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. The program’s goal is to fund projects in all 77 of them.
“We are committed to providing all kids with an opportunity to play sports and to play it safely,” Alicia Gonzalez, executive director of Cubs Charities said. “The ability for Cubs Charities to support communities is a really good moment of hope for a child.”
And the Diamond Project has provided hope to many children. Even though the Diamond Project started in 2014, the larger organization, Cubs Charities, has been around since 1987. One of the three pillars of the Ricketts family is to be a good neighbor, and the Diamond Project does its best to do just that. In the program’s inaugural year, all the way back in 2014, they funded nine projects.
Now, exactly eight years later, the Diamond Project has funded 103 capital improvement projects, with many more on the way. The program has already participated in 7 of their 12 ribbon cuttings planned for 2022 at brand new fields, complexes, and facilities.”
“We don’t want to be a one-time grantmaker,” Gonzalez said. “We want to build those authentic and continuing relationships with the communities that we serve.”
Gonzalez joined Cubs Charities in 2018 as the executive director after starting her own nonprofit, Chicago Run in 2008. She experienced frustrations herself about not having adequate opportunities to play sports in her community and has dedicated her career to making sure that all children have plenty of opportunities in their communities to participate in sports.
“I’ve dedicated my career to sports programs,” she said. “Because sports are designed to help us heal.”
And Gonzalez is doing an excellent job. It seems that during her tenure, the Diamond Project may reach its goal of helping all 77 of Chicago’s neighborhoods have access for all children to play baseball and softball.
“Sports are incredibly powerful in bringing people together and instilling hope, especially after a pandemic,” Gonzalez said. “That is what makes our work so important.”
