Will Smith’s Catching Hope Foundation partnered with Nike Diamond to donate shoes, hoodies and sports gear to the West End School baseball team in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher recently returned to his hometown to meet some of the players and sign autographs for them.
Will and Cara Smith founded the Catching Hope Foundation in 2021, with a commitment to helping at-risk low-income youths in transition with critical skills needed for leadership, self-advocacy and self-sufficiency.
The Smiths previously teamed up with Playworks this past October to support the health and wellbeing of students at William Northrup Elementary School in Alhambra.
Fourth- and fifth-graders were treated to an hour of physical activity through various recess games. The play day was made possible in part through a $15,000 grant donated by LADF and Catching Hope.
“As a Dodger player, there’s a responsibility to give back,” Smith said at the time. “It’s part of the culture in our clubhouse and it’s been that way for a while now throughout the Dodgers organization. For myself, my wife, to be in a situation to be able to give back to kids, means a lot.”
Will Smith among Dodgers participating in 2023 World Baseball Classic
Smith is among the eight Dodgers players who will be participating in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He will represent Team USA, along with Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw.
Smith is coming off another productive season that saw him hit .260/.343/.465 with 26 doubles, 24 home runs, 87 RBI and 68 runs scored in 137 games.
The 27-year-old was named to the All-MLB Second Team and checked in as the No. 2 ranked catcher by MLB Network’s The Shredder entering the 2023 season.
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