Dear Nationals fans,
On a July afternoon, while his baseball peers were in Cleveland basking in the glow of the Summer Classic, Anthony Rendon quietly arrived on our Youth Baseball Academy campus. No press, no agenda – he was simply there to hang out with the young people who make their home nearby our Ward 7 facility.
As always, he was greeted by shouts echoing across the ball fields. “It’s Anthony Rendon! Hey, Anthony! Mr. Rendon!” He grabbed a plastic bat to hit balls with the fifth grade boys, put on a borrowed glove to play catch with the third grade girls, and circled up for team time with the eighth graders to offer shout outs and encouraging words.
For four seasons, Anthony served as a member of the Academy’s board of directors. The generous personal contributions from Anthony and his wife, Amanda, have funded teaching residencies for Academy staff, free introductory baseball camps, an annual vision clinic for our Scholar Athletes, and a season-long program for students to attend Nationals games and learn about team operations, among other things.
His contributions spurred a donation matching challenge – the “Rendon Match” – that has galvanized hundreds of Nationals fans and supporters to give to the Academy.
Words alone cannot convey the depth of our gratitude to Anthony for the multitude of ways in which he has supported our program and touched the lives of our Scholars. Instead, we turned to Lauren Taylor Illustrations to commission a custom art piece that captures the spirit of our champion.
As a tribute to Anthony, will you join us in saying thank you?
To close out the “Rendon Match,” the first 100 donors who give a gift of $100 or more in support of the Youth Baseball Academy will receive a limited edition print of the custom illustration.
Finally, to our inspiration, role model, and friend – thank you, Anthony. We are forever grateful for the indelible impact you have made at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. You will always be a member of our team.
Sincerely,
Tal Alter
Chief Executive Officer
Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and Youth Baseball Academy