In honor of his charitable work for the youth of Philadelphia, the city council honored now-former Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard.
Say what you will about Ryan Howard‘s career in a Phillies uniform, but it is hard to deny he cared about the city of Philadelphia. Throughout his career here, Howard made sure his impact was felt beyond the baseball field.
Philadelphia’s City Council recognized Howard on Thursday, passing a resolution that “recognized, congratulated and honored Howard for his Phillies career and commended ‘his dedication to philanthropy throughout the city of Philadelphia,'” according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
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In 2011, just after signing his tremendous five-year, $125 million contract, donated $1.2 million of sports equipment to Philadelphia’s public schools. This came in the midst of Philadelphia schools facing a $629 million deficit according to Rick Cohen of Nonprofit Quarterly. Athletics are often the first to go during budget cuts, and Howard’s donation likely saved numerous schools’ athletics programs.
Together with his wife Krystle, a former Eagles cheerleader and current teacher, Howard founded the Ryan Howard Big Piece Foundation in 2013. According to their Twitter, the foundation’s goal “is to engage students in the essential area of literacy, leading them on a path to a brighter future.”
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The foundation challenged students at Vare-Washington Elementary School to read 20 minutes a day for seven days a week. The students met the goal, and the foundation rewarded them with $75,000 grant for a new reading room with books, computers, and iPads.
Most recently, Howard opened a baseball training center at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center in South Philadelphia. The $2.5 million facility will work in conjunction with MLB’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in Center Cities) program, with more than 8,000 RBI youth having access to the facility.
Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney said “Generations of young ballplayers in Philadelphia will benefit from this facility,” according to CBS Philly.
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Even though Howard’s career in Philadelphia may be over, his work in Philadelphia certainly isn’t. During the city council ceremony, Howard stated “If I’m not here playing in a Phillies uniform, that doesn’t mean I’m finished with my work in the city and around Philadelphia,” saying that “there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.”