Betts is proud to be able to give back to his hometown, Nashville, Tenn., and Los Angeles, two communities that mean a lot to him.
"It means everything just because they support me out here, and they don't have to," Betts said. "They don't have to come to the games and cheer us on, and I know sometimes we get booed as well, but it's all part of it. God blessed us with this platform and the ability to give back, and it's only right to do so."
This year, the 5050 Foundation was part of the wildfire relief effort in the L.A. area, donating more than $30,000 of Nike clothing to victims. The 5050 also partnered with the Dodgers Foundation to donate more than $160,000 to Brotherhood Crusade, which works to help fight hunger and homelessness in L.A. In June, the foundation provided financial support and resources to an Altadena family who lost their home in the Eaton Fire.
Betts and the 5050 Foundation continued working with schools, partnering with the Obama Foundation to donate sports equipment to Hyde Park Academy in Chicago and setting up an academic challenge with L.A. Unified School District. They have continued to work with UCLA Children's Hospital, where their "Betts on Us" fund helps families with pediatric patients access quality healthcare.
In Nashville, Betts funded the Mookie Betts Metro Baseball Tournament. He also continued his work with "Team Mookie," an Amateur Athletic Union boys' basketball team, and has now helped fund six AAU teams in the Nashville region.
Betts is also a regular participant in the Dodgers' community initiatives. He invited the Baseball Generations organization to the ballpark for Juneteenth educational programming and a game. Around the same time, Betts hosted an inaugural celebrity softball game ahead of Black Heritage Night as part of an effort to grow the game with Black players and fans.
The multitalented Betts has also gotten into the pickleball craze. He hosted a new initiative, the Smash for Good Pickleball Challenge, benefiting the 5050 Foundation last month.
"We've just gotten to do a lot of things and be in a lot of areas around the community that we weren't able to at first, or didn't necessarily know about at first," Betts said. "Getting to learn who some of these schools are, getting to know some people in pickleball that I had never met before, really just getting to do things and meet people that I've never really met and/or been able to do. The 5050 Foundation has definitely given me that opportunity."
In the final two months of the regular season, Betts has worked to achieve an impressive turnaround at the plate. All the while, he's put in year-round work with his foundation, which can be just as rewarding.
"I know he gets a lot of satisfaction helping people," manager Dave Roberts said. "For him to be nominated as our Dodgers nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, it's a huge honor. I think he holds it up there with all those other awards that he's received."
