In Baltimore, Cal Ripken Jr. is a legend among the masses. After 20 seasons as the stalwart “Ironman” of baseball and face of the Baltimore Orioles, he has continued to be a part of the community.
Through appearances, teachings and charitable events, Ripken Jr. has remained as much a part of Baltimore as when he was an All-Star and eventual Hall of Famer.
Drive about 45 minutes, and you can see one of the ball fields Ripken Jr. and his foundation helped erect for youth to utilize, learn and play the game of baseball.
Ripken’s charitable foundation, The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, named after his late father, has helped to build 118 little league parks across 30 states. The first youth development park was built in Baltimore in 2010 at Memorial Field.
“If you sneak back, when all of this pomp and circumstance is gone, and you see how the kids use the field, how they appreciate the field — that’s the real magic of what we do,” Ripken said. “I enjoy seeing how it transforms from shovel in the ground to ribbon cutting, but I really enjoy seeing how it’s used.”
When Ripken Jr. first started his foundation, the goal was to first transform his former hometown of Aberdeen, Maryland. He recently opened the 118th youth development park, helping fellow Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter in his hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“This is a special moment for our entire family,” Jeter said. “To have Cal here and to have his foundation’s support — I looked up to Cal not just as a player but as a person who sets the standard for athletes to give back post-career.”
Jeter’s foundation, Turn 2 Foundation, helped to fund the $5 million complex, but it was The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation that would help to design and build the baseball and softball complexes at Jeter’s former high school, Kalamazoo Central High.
“We both were fortunate enough to be raised by terrific parents in solid homes, and because of that similarity, we were both encouraged to use the platform that baseball provided us to give back and make a difference in the lives of young people,” Ripken Jr. said.
The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation’s objective is to strengthen America’s most underserved and distressed communities by supporting and advocating for children. The foundation builds youth development parks, partners with law enforcement and youth service agencies and addresses community needs through its national program initiatives.
The Kalamazoo complex is one of many endeavors that the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation has completed. Recently they provided a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) center for Aberdeen Middle School and sent $30,000 to Salisbury, Maryland, for the Newton Street Community Center to install a STEM lab as well.
Earlier in the month, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation opened its 400th STEM center in Tupelo, Tennessee, the first of 27 STEM centers in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority. The foundation has also started to break ground in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to bring the first Cal Ripken Youth Development Park to the area.
Ripken became a national legend under the spotlight on the field, but it’s what he is doing outside the white lines that is making a lasting impact, not only in the Baltimore area, but around the nation.
What do you think of Cal’s charitable work? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like Stephen’s content? Follow him on X – @SRJHeckman, and listen to the official podcast of The Baltimore Battery, The Final Strike, anywhere you get your podcasts!
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment