HAWTHORNE, CA — LADF (Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation), the City of Hawthorne and Kershaw’s Challenge will break ground on Dodgers Dreamfields 64 and 65 at Jim Thorpe Park on Tuesday, September 10. The groundbreaking ceremony, which kicks off the construction of LADF’s newest project, will include a shovel dedication and a short program featuring remarks from LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman, Dodgers Pitcher Clayton Kershaw, LA84 Foundation Chief Impact Officer Sandra J. Martinez, and Security Benefit Regional Vice President of Southern California Anthony J. Martinez.
This $850,000 transformative investment will revitalize these green spaces to help re-energize the community’s baseball and softball programming while boosting the safety of local parks and providing a place where neighbors can gather, exercise, and play. Crucial refurbishments at Jim Thorpe Park include:
- Upgraded fencing.
- New customized signage.
- New foul poles.
- Upgraded dugouts.
- An enlarged field.
- Two scoreboards.
- New infield mix and sod.
- Refurbished backstops.
- An updated bullpen for youth ages 5-12 and high school-aged players.
In addition to leading partners City of Hawthorne and Kershaw’s Challenge, sponsors include Security Benefit and LA84 Foundation.
Despite a population of over 96,000 and 11 school districts with 71,000 enrolled students, only 1% of Hawthorne’s land is used for parks and recreation. The new Dodger Dreamfields will improve park access to Hawthorne residents and create venues where youth can play sports, participate in social and emotional learning opportunities, and access vital health and educational resources through LADF’s Dodgers Dreamteam program. This project will revitalize 50% of the City’s public baseball and softball fields and give more than 24,000 youth living in Hawthorne access to revitalized green space.
In alignment with one of its strategic priorities of building infrastructure for sustained impact to create lasting impact for Los Angeles, LADF builds and refurbishes baseball and softball fields in underserved communities through the Dodgers Dreamfields program. Since 2003, LADF has invested over $20 million to renovate 63 Dodgers Dreamfields and provide top-level baseball and softball fields. With the completion of fields 64 and 65, over 1.7 million youth and families will have access to these safe havens and points of pride.
