2023 Play Ball Lunch Presented by Blue Shield of California Raises Half a Million Dollars for the Giants Community Fund
Baseball is back! On Monday, March 27, the Giants Community Fund hosted the 2023 Play Ball Lunch Presented by Blue Shield of California. The annual charity event gathers donors, Giants executives, coaches, players and program participants in support of the Fund’s work — including its flagship program, Junior Giants.
Hosted at Oracle Park before the San Francisco Giants took on the Oakland A’s in the final exhibition game of Spring Training, guests enjoyed a pre-program reception on the field. Festivities included music by DJ Umami, refreshments in the dugout, photo booth fun in the outfield and lots of opportunities for autographs from San Francisco Giants players and coaches.
Emcee for the event, Public Address Announcer Dr. Renel Brooks-Moon, welcomed guests as they took their seats on the Club Level. The program began with a warm welcome to the Junior Giants Willie Mac Award winners who were special guests of the Giants Community Fund. As the kids announced “Play Ball,” 40+ San Francisco Giants players and coaches entered the room to the cheers of all in attendance.
Special attendees also included:
- Hall of Famer, Orlando Cepeda
- The Home Run King, Barry Bonds
- Forever Giant and Giants Community Fund Board Vice Chair, Randy Winn
- Co-host of KNBR’s “Murph and Mac Show” and Giants Community Fund Board Member, Brian Murphy
- Giants General Manager, Pete Putila
- Giants Spanish Language Broadcaster, Erwin Higueros
- Representing the City of San Francisco, the Chief of Protocol, Maryam Muduroglu
San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer was the first speaker to take the podium to welcome the guests in attendance as he spoke about the Fund’s work and expressed gratitude to supporters and friends of the Fund.
“There is nothing like the belief and support we receive from our players, our coaches, our staff, our partners, our donors and our fans in the mission of the Giants Community Fund. There is nothing like our Junior Giants kids and their families, our Harmon and Sue Burns Scholars, our Willie Mays Scholars and each of you! From everyone at the Giants organization, thank you for making the important, inspirational work of the Giants Community Fund possible. ” -Larry Baer, San Francisco Giants President & CEO
Guests were then invited to turn their attention to the video screens to learn more about the Giants Community Fund’s mission, programs and impact.
Next, the Fund was pleased to acknowledge the event’s presenting sponsor, Blue Shield of California, as a leader in the community and champion for the Giants Community Fund. Speaking on behalf of Blue Shield was their President and CEO Paul Markovich. As a long-standing tradition at the lunch, Paul welcomed two Junior Giants — Dolores Bricca from Concord and Desmond Luu from San Leandro — to join him for a fun Giants-related quiz. The segment concluded with a spirited “Go Giants!” chant led by the Junior Giants.
The room then had the honor of being joined by the 45th Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, the Honorable London N. Breed! She spoke to the Fund’s long-standing commitment to making opportunities for youth more accessible to the children of San Francisco (and beyond)!
Following remarks from the Mayor, a special video showcased one family’s personal story of the impact that the Junior Giants program has had in their lives.
We are grateful to the Prasad family, members of the San Bruno Junior Giants program, for sharing their experiences with us. In the video below, you will learn how the program empowered 16-year-old Pavan and 14-year-old Gigi to have the confidence to return to public school after facing severe bullying.
Gigi Prasad, who is both a Harmon and Sue Burns Scholar and a Junior Giants Willie Mac Award Winner, then took the mic to sing a beautiful rendition of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World.
Farhan Zaidi, Giants President of Baseball Operations then took the stage, thanking the Prasad family for their courage and warmly addressing them as his “South Asian brothers and sisters.”
2023 Junior Giants Hall of Fame Induction
The Junior Giants Hall of Fame honors outstanding past contributions, recognizes current achievements and showcases our leagues, coaches and lead organizers who have helped to build the Junior Giants program over the years.
The individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame have given their time, energy and undying enthusiasm to make the Junior Giants program what it is today.
With the help of Giants Community Fund Board Chairs, Juliet Don and Lindbergh Porter, Jr., and the newly-named Junior Giants Commissioner, Coach Alyssa Nakken, the Fund was pleased to induct three new members into the Junior Giants Hall of Fame.
Noah Jones — Junior Giants Commissioner, Los Banos
Noah Jones has been the Commissioner of the Los Banos Junior Giants League since 2001 and has served as a police officer for more than 20 years. He has grown the league tremendously, nearly doubling the number of teams in the minors and majors age divisions. He takes care of the field in his free time and values this program because of the great opportunity it provides for boys and girls in his community. Noah is a Giants fan because of his experience with Junior Giants and we are his fan for all he does to make the Junior Giants program possible.
Isabelle Lemon — Giants Community Fund Board Member Emeritus
Isabelle Lemon served as the KNBR Promotions Manager for many years and was a Giants Community Fund Board Member for nearly three decades. She always went above and beyond the duties of her everyday job to give incredible support to the Giants organization, the Junior Giants program and countless other charitable endeavors throughout the Bay Area.
In 2006, the Fund established the Community Spirit Award in her honor to recognize individuals in the Bay Area who share the same spirit and dedication to help make a difference in the world. We are very proud to honor her through this induction in the Junior Giants Hall of Fame.
Duane Kuiper — Giants Broadcaster and Former GCF Board Member
Duane Kuiper joined the Giants Community Fund Board in December 2001 and served until December 2019.
He has been an advocate for the Junior Giants Glove Drive and has taken his voice, his passion and enthusiasm for Junior Giants to the airwaves, both on TV and radio, to make sure Giants fans understand the importance of a program like ours.
In addition to supporting Junior Giants, he hosted the annual Buster Posey Glove Giveaway, has emceed dozens of our fundraising events, served as a spokesperson for the Junior Giants car donation program and has given his time to host many annual auction experiences at the ballpark.
He is a trusted ally, a legendary member of the Giants family and one smooth dude! Although he was unable to attend the Play Ball Lunch in person, Duane sent in a special message to the audience:
The final segment of the program featured a special Coach and Player Talk Show, facilitated by Giants Broadcasters Dave Flemming and Mike Krukow. Panelists included:
- Second Baseman, Wilmer Flores
- Manager, Gabe Kapler
- Outfielder, Michael Conforto
- Pitcher, Logan Webb
After chatting about Spring Training and the anticipated season ahead, Dave and Mike turned it over to Amy G. who had eager members of the press waiting to ask their questions — and by the press, we mean Junior Giants! Here’s what they asked:
- Avery Armstrong, Age 11
- For all the panelists: What is your favorite baseball movie?
- Caleb Tenoria, Age 10
- For Michael Conforto: Do you ever get nervous when you are up at the plate?
- Desmond Luu, Age 8
- For Logan Webb: Why did you pick to play for the San Francisco Giants out of all the other MLB teams?
- Dolores Bricca, Age 10
- For Wilmer Flores: Do you have a good luck charm and when you use it does it make you feel confident and ready for the game?
- Matteo Orlando, Age 18
- For Gabe Kapler: What about baseball makes you feel joy?
Then, Amy G. turned to 14-year-old Junior Giant Sergio Martinez Viscarra from San Francisco and gave him the mic. Instead of asking the panel a question, he turned to the table next to him where Giants Pitcher Sergio Romo was sitting, just a few hours before he took the mound one last time.
Our Junior Giant, Sergio, asked: “What advice do you have for a kid like me that wants to be like you one day?”
A choked-up Sergio Romo was handed the mic and said:
A truly priceless moment from one Sergio to the next.
This year’s Play Ball Lunch helped raise nearly $500,000 (and counting) for the Giants Community Fund. A sincere thank you to all the donors and supporters who teamed up to make this possible.
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The Giants Community Fund uses baseball and softball to promote health, education and character development to propel youth in underserved regions to be positive forces in their communities. The Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors and sustained by contributions from individuals, businesses and foundations through a number of special partnerships and fundraisers. Through an extended program model, the Fund now serves 30,000 youth annually. Since its inception in 1991, the Fund has donated $40 million to community efforts.
For additional information on the Giants Community Fund, visit giantscommunityfund.org and follow on social media — Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn.
