NEW YORK — It’s the season of giving in Manhattan, where Major League Baseball employees have been hard at work helping those in need during the holiday season.
This year, MLB is supporting the Boys & Girls Club in Stamford, Conn., which helps over 3,000 kids in need each year. Over the past several weeks, children from this BGC chapter wrote letters to Santa with their holiday wish lists. MLB employees then donated approximately 115 gifts to fulfill these requests.
On Monday, two of MLB’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) — MLB Women and Athletes to Executives — teamed up to host “Winter Wishes” and make it as merry and successful as possible, with around 75 employee elves pitching in to wrap gifts.
“There’s a lot of underserved children in the country that aren’t getting exactly what they want for Christmas,” said Linda Przygodski, senior director of digital initiatives and outgoing co-chair of MLB Women. “Most people that work here have the means to buy a gift that might really make a difference in a kid’s life. I know every employee really loves to do it. When we get together to wrap them, we wanted to continue on that Christmas spirit.”
When participants arrived at “Winter Wishes,” they were given a gift with a number corresponding to the child slated to receive it. All sorts of presents were donated, including dolls, play sets and sports equipment.
From there, employees wrapped and ribboned their gifts to perfection before dropping them off behind a counter, ready to be whisked away to a child in need. For those feeling particularly daring, skateboards and large stuffed animals provided additional wrapping challenges.
“Winter Wishes” participants were treated to more than just an hour of service. There was a raffle containing several baseball-themed prizes, and handpicked holiday songs set the mood over the loudspeakers. To further sweeten the deal, hot chocolate and cider quenched everyone’s thirst while local small businesses supplied pastries, cookies and popcorn.
“Something we’ve really made an effort to do was have food here from diverse business partners,” said Melissa Bristol, manager of international baseball investigations and compliance and the main organizer of “Winter Wishes” this year. “It’s putting our money literally where our mouth is. If you’re a women’s resource group, why not help out women-owned businesses and diverse-owned businesses?
The generosity extended westward, as MLB offices in Boulder, Colo., San Francisco and Costa Mesa, Calif., are hosting their own versions of “Winter Wishes” for local Boys & Girls Clubs. Meanwhile in Stamford, dozens of children are about to have their holiday wishes granted.
“The partnership is a very joyful event, a very festive event,” said Rowena Track, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford. “It’s to bring normalcy and joy to so many underserved and deserving youth. And we are grateful for that partnership.”
Track ensures that “every child has a wish that gets fulfilled” around the holidays. She noted that the kids at the club are often overcome with emotion when receiving gifts from initiatives such as “Winter Wishes.”
“Some kids break down in tears,” Track said. “If they had given their wish and it is something that they really want to have, and this is the only way for them to have it. … It’s overwhelming for some of the kids. We really are grateful.”
“Winter Wishes” is one of many ways that Baseball is giving back around the holidays. On Giving Tuesday (Nov. 29), all full-time MLB employees received $25 to donate to a non-profit of their choice. MLB Network recently partnered with the Jersey Cares Coat Drive, which collects and distributes winter wear to New Jersey residents in need every holiday season. There was also a program throughout November in which MLB employees wrote holiday notes to send to military veterans.
Additionally, during the Winter Meetings, MLB expanded its partnership with the BGCA by holding a charity auction to fund the establishment of a new Boys & Girls Club in Uvalde, Texas.
After an hour of hard work on a chilly afternoon, the gifts were wrapped and ready to be sent out to the kids in Stamford, who are no doubt looking forward to the holidays already. They’ll receive the gifts sometime before Christmas Eve, when their school breaks begin. By then, Santa Claus will be well on his way toward spreading holiday magic to children around the world.
