CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Perfect Game today announced that Major League Baseball All-Stars, George Springer and Trevor Story have donated a combined $150,000 to the Perfect Game Cares Foundation, designated to support its "Grow the Game" fund.  In turn, Perfect Game also announced it will match the generous donation from two of its most illustrious alums, bringing a total contribution of $300,000 to the Perfect Game Cares Foundation to help provide financial assistance to youth players in need. 

Springer and Story wanted to join forces to ensure that more athletes of color and underprivileged youth in general are getting the financial assistance they need to play baseball in their local communities.

"Grow the Game" funds are earmarked by the Perfect Game Cares Foundation specifically for the purpose of helping ensure that cost does not stop any child from enjoying a chance to play and fall in love with the great games of baseball and softball in their communities. Together, Story and Springer's donation will be used to create long-term change within baseball by making the game more accessible for underprivileged youth and developing more opportunities for players from impoverished communities to play the game of baseball.

"As a Black baseball player myself, one of my goals is to make the sport more accessible to athletes of color," said Springer. "I'm proud to be a part of this initiative and provide help to underprivileged kids who need the financial assistance to further their careers."

"It's extremely important to break down the barriers that have kept Black and underprivileged kids from pursuing a career in baseball," said Story. "These funds will go towards helping kids from impoverished communities participate in programs that would normally be outside their financial means."

"Great things can happen when like-minded individuals come together to make a difference in a child's life. We are so incredibly humbled that Trevor and George have stepped forward to support and invest in our newly formed Grow the Game fund for under privileged kids across America," said Jennifer Ford, executive director of the Perfect Game Cares Foundation. "Children cannot find hope without resources and opportunities provided to them. Perfect Game Cares hopes to change the narrative for kids who cannot otherwise afford to enter or continue in baseball and softball due to financial barriers. To know that two of our best alumni have reached back to help kids achieve their dreams is truly heartwarming to see."

"We are very grateful and proud of George and Trevor. They are showing that they truly care about the future of other young children who may just need a helping hand to accomplish great things in life," said Perfect Game Founder and President, Jerry Ford.  "I remember watching George compete in our showcase at Cape Cod and watching Trevor compete with the Dallas Patriots in Jupiter. It is with great pleasure to see those two, along with many other former PG alums, become very successful Major League players. It means so much that they care about our mission to help those that lack the financial resources necessary to get better opportunities, and it is an honor to recognize their generosity by matching their contribution."

The Perfect Game Cares Foundation is the 501c3 nonprofit extension of Perfect Game and is committed to helping children living in America's underserved areas and helping grow the sports of softball and baseball from the grassroots level all the way through the high school, collegiate and professional ranks.

The public can join Springer, Story and the Perfect Game Cares Foundation in breaking down financial barriers that stand between young people in need and their ability to enjoy the games of baseball and softball by contributing to the "Grow the Game" Fund here.

For more information, please visit PerfectGame.org and PerfectGameCares.org.

Media Contacts

Perfect Game Cares Foundation: Jennifer Ford, [email protected] 
Perfect Game: Daron Sutton, [email protected]; 602-769-5712 
Excel Sports Management: Kelsey Williams, [email protected] 

About Perfect Game Cares

The Perfect Game Cares Foundation, Inc. began in 2003 as The PG Foundation, Inc., when PG Founder and President Jerry Ford decided that the success of Perfect Game created a platform to give back. Perfect Game has helped raise over $3 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Rady Children's Hospital, Golisano Children's Hospital, the Toby Keith Foundation's OK Kids Korral, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center, and the Boys and Girls Club. In 2018, the Foundation expanded its footprint to become the Perfect Game Cares Foundation with its largest initiative to date—empowering and supporting America's underserved youth. Visit www.perfectgamecares.org for more information.

About Perfect Game

Perfect Game is the world's largest elite youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, producing over 8,600+ events, 300,000+ games and showcases each year across the country. Perfect Game is dedicated to giving amateur players exposure to take their game to the next level, whether that be in college or in the professional ranks. At Perfect Game events, players are performing with top-level competition in front of college recruiters and professional scouts from all over the country. Because of this, these events prove to be invaluable to the college coaches as well as Major League Baseball, as they can scout a large population of talented ballplayers in one location. To date, more than 1,500 players that have played in a Perfect Game event have also played in Major League Baseball. Since 2003, 12,776 Perfect Game alumni have been selected in the MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft. In the 2020 Draft, for example, 93 percent of all players selected had played in Perfect Game events, and all but one player selected on the Draft's first day had previously attended Perfect Game events. And in the 2019 College World Series, every player on the roster of national champion Vanderbilt and all but one on the runner-up Michigan roster had played in a Perfect Game event.

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SOURCE Perfect Game USA