The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) will be unveiling three new Dodgers Dreamfields at Blair Park in the city of San Bernardino on Saturday.
Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, who was also present for the groundbreaking ceremony for all three fields, will again be in attendance for the unavailing of the fields.
The LADF, through the Dodgers Dreamfields program, builds and refurbishes baseball and softball fields in underserved communities with the goal of providing families with safe havens and points of pride in their neighborhoods.
The hope is that the Dodgers Dreamfields help re-energize a community’s involvement in baseball and softball, while also boosting the safety of local parks and providing a place for everyone to enjoy.
Since 2003, LADF has invested over $20 million to refurbish 63 Dodgers Dreamfields and provide more than 400,000 kids access to playable baseball and softball fields.
In partnership with the San Manuel Mission Band of Indians and in collaboration with the City of San Bernardino, the LADF will unveil Dodgers Dreamfields 61, 62 and 63, as the foundation moves closer to completing its goal of 75 fields by 2033 as a way to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles in 1958.
“The unveiling of three new Dodgers Dreamfields is a celebration of the power of community, the joy of play, and the boundless potential of our youth,” LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman said. “These fields represent dreams taking flight and where transformative play ensures every child has a place to dream, grow and shine.”
In total, the LADF contributed a $1.7 million transformative investment to support youth ages 5-18 with three refurbished fields. Upgrades include new playing surfaces and grass, enclosed fields, upgraded dugouts, upgraded irrigation systems, new pitchers’ mounds, bullpens and LED scoreboards.
The upgrades to Dreamfields 61, 62 and 63 were made possible by a nearly $1.3 million grant from the San Manuel Mission Band of Indians, and it is the largest gift for a Dodgers Dreamfield project in the program’s history.
According to Parks for California, 65% of San Bernardino residents live in areas with less than three acres of park space per 1,000 people, and 39% live further than half a mile from a park, where the national average is 55%.
Upon completion of the fields, more than 9,800 youth living in San Bernardino will have access to a safe place to play and baseball and softball programming at Blair Park. The City of San Bernardino hopes the project will help curtail these statistics and help maintain the city’s vibrant and unique culture.
Dino Ebel’s connection to the San Bernardino project
Back in December of 2023, Ebel shared his thoughts with those gathered before ground was broken on fields 61, 62, and 63.
Ebel, who is from Barstow and grew up in the Inland Empire, emphasized the importance of sports and the impact that it has on kids during their developmental years. The discipline that comes with having a set schedule for practice and games was one of the important life lessons he mentioned in his remarks.
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