Rep. Donato Receives Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Award
Hall of Fame Award Honors Donato for Bringing Foundation’s Baseball Program to State
State Representative Paul Donato is the recipient of the 2008 Hall of Fame Award from the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. Rep. Donato is pictured above with Anthony Abdelahad of the foundation and children from the Medford Boys and Girls Club. Courtesy photo.
State Representative Paul Donato (D-Medford) has been honored with the 2008 Hall of Fame Award from the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation for his role in bringing the foundation’s “Badges for Baseball” program to Massachusetts.
Rep. Donato received his award on Tuesday at the Middlesex County Boys and Girls Club in Medford.
“I am honored to receive the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation’s 2008 Hall of Fame Award for legislative service. By working together, we secured funding to bring the Badges for Baseball program to Medford and other communities across Middlesex County. I thank the Ripken Foundation for bringing this outstanding program to the children of Medford, and the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Rep. Donato in a statement.
“There has been no bigger advocate for this program on Beacon Hill than Paul Donato. Thanks to his tireless efforts we have created one of the most comprehensive public/private partnerships for teen violence and drug prevention in Massachusetts,” said Steve Salem, Executive Director of the Ripken Foundation.
Badges for Baseball is a community crime-prevention initiative that uses baseball and softball to combat juvenile delinquency and crime by encouraging healthy out-of-school activities. Law enforcement officials serve as mentors and coaches to community youth. The program is currently being run by organizations in 26 communities across Massachusetts, including the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Youth Academy, which serves 1,900 local youths.
Working with the Massachusetts Sheriff’s Association, local Boys & Girls Clubs, and other community organizations, the Ripken Foundation provided $500,000 in Nike equipment, program training, staff, and other funding to bring Badges for Baseball to Massachusetts. With this commitment from the Foundation, Rep. Donato and his colleagues were able to secure a $500,000 matching grant from the state to roll out the program across the Commonwealth.
– InsideMedford.com