Bauer wraps up '69 Days of Giving' campaign

CLEVELAND -- It's no secret Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer is a noted drone fanatic.
But the former UCLA standout now is also known as a philanthropist looking to make a difference through unconventional means.
Bauer's two-month run of charitable contributions officially came to an end Tuesday, finalized by a nearly $70,000 donation to Max S. Hayes High School -- a public school that specializes in technical and trade education that's just minutes away from Progressive Field in Cleveland. Bauer said the donation will be used for the school's general scholarship fund.
"It gets hard here sometimes, but for him to come and give this donation, we must be doing something right," joked Frank Austin, a junior studying automotive tech at Hayes. "It's making my time worth it here."
Students also were given official MLB baseballs autographed by Bauer, a former engineering major, after he went around and shook the hand of each student in the room.
Bauer took aside Austin, a multisport athlete and second baseman for the Lakers, and invited the youngster to watch batting practice before an upcoming home game.
"I was like, 'Is he for real?'" Austin said. "I'll get to wear my official Indians gear like I'm an actual player. It's awesome."
Bauer's idea for the campaign of giving was formulated shortly after winning an arbitration case during the offseason, in which he received about $100,00 more than he expected.
Naturally, Bauer felt he should donate the difference of what he received and what he wanted.
"It was kind of a joke with some of my friends," Bauer said. "Just to be obnoxious with obnoxious numbers, but mostly it was I just wanted to give back."
Throughout most of the campaign, Bauer made 68 donations in the amount of about $400 to various nonprofit organizations based on recommendations sent to him via Twitter, and his website, baueroutage.com.
The process of giving began on Opening Day with a donation to the Lone Survivor Foundation, which supports wounded veterans, and led to a different donation every day.
Bauer first learned about Hayes two years ago, when he had the chance to tour the school, meet with faculty and speak to students. After learning about what students were learning and how they were learning it, Bauer knew that's where he wanted to make his most impactful donation.
"I'm really passionate about technology and this type of education," Bauer said. "I think in general that the education in the country -- you come to school, you learn what you need to know for the test, memorize it for the test, then a lot of times you forget it -- or you don't know how to apply the principles you've learned in real-world scenarios.
"I think Max Hayes does a great job at giving you real-world scenarios and practical experience so that you have a way to apply the concepts that you're learning to what you're going to be doing later in life once you get out of school."
Charities supported by Bauer include foundations from other Major Leaguers, such as Carlos Carrasco Foundation, which aims to provide impactful resources for disadvantaged youth in the United States and Latin America -- and the Lance McCullers Jr. foundation, which provides funding and awareness to no-kill animal shelters.
To see the full list of charities Bauer donated to, click here.