CLEVELAND — As CLE Inspires Week powered by Kaulig Giving rolls on, the Cleveland Guardians and All-Star third baseman José Ramírez made a big announcement on Wednesday afternoon.
Cleveland Guardians Charities announced plans of a new Fields for the Future project at Clark Field in partnership with Ramírez and the City of Cleveland. According to a release, the CGC Fields for the Future program was created "to improve the field conditions for youth baseball and softball players in the City of Cleveland."
The site of the new turf field to be named after Ramírez is projected to be completed in spring 2023 in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood and will serve youth baseball programs including the Guardians' RBI programs. The field will also serve as the home field for CMSD's Lincoln West High School baseball and softball programs.
“When José Ramírez signed his long-term contract extension this past offseason he made it clear he wanted to make a lasting legacy on and off the field in the City of Cleveland,” said Sr. VP of Public Affairs and Cleveland Guardians Charities President Bob DiBiasio. “As one of our Guardians Baseball and Softball Youth Ambassadors, José has a passion for improving the game and wanted to make this investment along with Cleveland Guardians Charities to provide a turfed field for area youth to play on in the largest Hispanic neighborhood in Ohio, which was very important to him.”
Additionally, the Davey Tree Expert Company announced the planting of trees at the Clark Field project as part of the new Swing for the Trees program.
Wednesday's announcement comes one day after the Guardians hosted their annual Giveathon during their matchup against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Since launching in 2019, the Guardians' Giveathon has raised $750,000 for local charities connected to the team. This year, the team hoped to raise more than $1,000,000.
CLE Inspires Week serves as a week-long celebration, focusing "on sharing the Cleveland Guardians community efforts, spotlighting Guardians beneficiaries, and fundraising for Cleveland Guardians Charities."
“We look forward this coming week to once again spotlight our efforts in the community and raise money to support the mission of Cleveland Guardians Charities to prepare youth for success,” Vice President of Communications and Community Impact Curtis Danburg said in a release. “We appreciate the tremendous partnerships with Kaulig Giving, Bally Sports Great Lakes and WKYC to tell the inspirational stories of the youth we support on an annual basis. We also encourage our fans to be “Guardians of the Community” by engaging in this Tuesday’s Giveathon game on BSGL and WKYC or bidding on our online auction all week.”