Orange and Black Gives Back Week of Service
Orange & Black Gives Back Week of Service
Nearly 500 Orioles players, coaches, and top prospects, as well as O’s Alumni and front office staff completed 11 community service projects, spending nearly 900 total hours giving back to seven Birdland communities over the course of three days as part of Orange & Black Gives Back Week of Service, a series of community service projects throughout all of Birdland.
Each Orioles affiliate, the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, Double-A Bowie Baysox, High-A Aberdeen IronBirds, and Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds, as well as the Frederick, Md., Sarasota, Fla., and Dominican Republic communities participated in the week of service, which ran from Monday, June 26, through Wednesday, June 28, spanning three states and two countries.
MONDAY, JUNE 26
The Week of Service project kicked off on Monday, June 26, with projects across Maryland in Aberdeen, Salisbury, and Frederick.
Aberdeen, MD
Orioles Hall of Famer and Community Ambassador Boog Powell joined Ironbirds players, coaches, and front office staff as they partnered with the Harford County Educaton Foundation to assemble a record-breaking 402 homework packs for students at various schools in the Harford County area. These homework kits included pencils, markers, paper, folders and other school supplies necessary for students to complete school projects and assignments at home during the school year.
Prior to this event, the Harford County Educaton Foundation had never packed more than 300 kits at one time.
Salisbury, MD
The Week of Service extended across the Bay Bridge and into Maryland’s eastern shore when Delmarva Shorebirds players, coaches and front office staff partnered with Operation We Care to assemble 50 care packages for active military members and first responders. The care packages included shampoo, canned food, cookies, snacks, and other items that are often taken for granted.
Operation We Care is an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to supporting military and first responders.
Frederick, MD
The Frederick Keys partnered with United Way of Frederick County and the Baltimore Orioles to host a “Stuff the Bus” collection drive to provide thousands of Frederick County Public Schools students in ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families, with necessary school supplies.
Community members were encouraged to drop off new and unused school supplies at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, which will be distributed to Frederick County Public School students ahead of the new school year. Frederick Keys players and staff also wrote notes of encouragement that will be given to FCPS students as they enter the new school year.
TUESDAY, JUNE 27
The Week of Service continued on Tuesday with two projects in Bowie, Md., and three projects in Norfolk, Va.
Bowie, MD
Bowie Baysox players, coaches, and front office staff participated in two projects to help their local communities. Baysox players and staff partnered with Bowie’s Green Team, collecting 40 large bags of trash and other debris to help beautify the city’s parks for Price George’s County residents. They also partnered with Caring Cupboard in Anne Arundel County, stocking shelves and preparing food to be delivered to local families in need, completing three weeks’ worth of individual volunteer work.
Norfolk, VA
Norfolk Tides players, coaches, and front office staff participated in projects impacting three organizations in the Norfolk area. The Tides partnered with the Roc Solid Foundation, an organization that builds hope for kids fighting cancer, to prepare 44 packages for pediatric cancer patients in the hospital.
Players and staff also participated in a volunteer event at the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia, stocking shelves, breaking down boxes, and transferring food in preparation for upcoming food distributions, directly benefiting 600 families this week.
Tides players and staff, along with their mascot Rip Tide, participated in a wiffle ball event with 35 youth from the Boys and Girls Club of Southampton Roads at Young Terrace Park in Norfolk.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28
The Orange & Black Gives Back Week of Service wrapped up with a projects in Sarasota, Fla., the Spring Training home of the Orioles, and in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
Sarasota, FL
The FCL Orioles hosted a youth baseball clinic at Ed Smith Stadium, where 34 participants from Girls, Inc. and the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties received hitting, pitching, baserunning, and fielding instruction from Orioles minor league players and coaches, as well as Orioles Hall of Famer Mike Devereaux. Each participant also received a complimentary lunch, baseball cap, and baseball.
Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
The DSL Orioles completed two projects for the Boca Chica community. The DSL Orange team hosted a youth clinic at the Orioles’ Baseball City complex for 40 participants from two local baseball programs - Liga Deportiva Quezada and Liga Deportiva y Cultural Ozuna Aquino. The Baltimore Orioles also donated baseball equipment to each of the local baseball programs.
The DSL Black team cleaned up a one-mile area of the beach at Boca Chica Municipal Hall, collecting 26 30-liter bags of waste. In collaboration with local authorities, the Orioles also worked to raise awareness and educate all participants on the impacts of plastics and Styrofoam on the environment.