In Northern California, we support the Giants Community Fund and the Junior Giants. 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 2021 Junior Giants programming schedule includes: Spring Training – A new virtual Spring Training program consisting of sequenced, age-specific, online content and weekly live conditioning sessions held by AmeriCorps Associates to prepare participants for the Junior Giants and Junior Giants at Home seasons. The Spring Training program will take place from April 12 to May 7. Giants on the Go – Only 24% of kids ages 6 to 17 engage in the CDC-recommended hour of activity per day, down from 30% one decade earlier. Giants on the Go encourages kids to participate in movement of all kinds with the goal of reaching 60 minutes of activity each day. Whether following along with one of the provided workouts or completing exercise on their own, kids track their Movement Minutes. Giants on the Go can be accessed on the Junior Giants App or Digital Dugout. The mission is to inspire young people everywhere and make physical activity fun and engaging for everyone – one child, one family, one team at a time. The mobile application will be available for participants beginning mid-April. To learn more, click here.

Junior Giants at Home – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Giants Community Fund converted the Junior Giants program into a virtual format called Junior Giants at Home. The program was a tremendous success in 2020, welcoming over 12,300 players from more than 490 cities and four countries. The Giants Community Fund is bringing the Junior Giants at Home program back for the 2021 season, inviting players to join a six-week virtual season that will provide youth, ages 5-18, the opportunity to connect with other local players through live, video-based baseball and softball practices led by Junior Giants AmeriCorps Ambassadors. The 2021 program will feature two seasons, with season one taking place from May 24 to July 3, and season two taking place from July 12 to August 22.   To learn more, click here.

Junior Giants on the Field – The flagship program of the Giants Community Fund is a free, noncompetitive baseball and softball program for boys and girls, ages 5-18 years old, across 88 leagues in underserved communities. Beyond teaching the fundamentals of the game, Junior Giants focuses on the Four Bases of Character Development: Confidence, Integrity, Leadership and Teamwork, and offers programs in Health, Education and Bullying Prevention. The 2021 Junior Giants on the Field program will take place from mid-June to early August. To learn more, <a “=”” href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE8IURMMajA&ab_channel=JuniorGiants” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-auth=”NotApplicable” data-linkindex=”3″>click here.

School-Based Programs – Projected to begin in September 2021, the Giants Community Fund plans to provide Junior Giants-based curriculum to physical education teachers within the Bay Area, and will also explore incorporating after-school options for recreational play.

To learn more about the Giants Community Fund, visit mlb.com/giants/community/fund and follow us on Facebook: Giants Community Fund, Twitter: @giantscommunity, Instagram: @giantscommunityfund and LinkedIn: Giants Community Fund.