Before the end of 2025’s Black History Month, Blue Jays Nation would like to celebrate some of the most influential people – players, staff, and executives – who had a tremendous impact on Toronto Blue Jays baseball.
This is the final part of a three-part series:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/celebrating-blue-jays-during-black-history-month-part-one-the-level-of-excellence">Part one</a> celebrated Cito Gaston and Joe Carter, the two black individuals to be inducted to the Jays Level of Excellence.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Part two featured Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, Russell Martin, and Fergie Jenkins, four outstanding black players to be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">This third and final part will feature foundations and charities surrounding the Jays.</li>
</ul>
While the foundations mentioned in this article aren’t purely focused on Black History Month, they are focused on providing aid to marginalized communities in Toronto.
Feel free to share your favourite foundations not mentioned in the article in the comments at the end of the article.
<h2>Top Of The First</h2>
The Toronto Blue Jays run a lot of programs out of their Jays Care Foundation to help get kids into baseball. In recent years, the foundation has continued to expand. In 2022, it introduced the Top Of The First program.
Focused on teaching coaches, umpires, and volunteers ways to make their baseball programs more accessible to all groups, Top Of The First provides a free three-part workshop to anyone interested.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Congratulations to the more than 300 coaches who registered for this year&#39;s 3-part DEI workshop, Top of the First made possible by <a href="https://twitter.com/TD_Canada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TD_Canada</a>! Thank you for your commitment to making baseball more inclusive in leagues across the country. 👏 <a href="https://t.co/B7sV8ZWHOA">pic.twitter.com/B7sV8ZWHOA</a>
&mdash; Jays Care Foundation (@JaysCare) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaysCare/status/1809975931970204041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The workshop focuses on relationship building, interrupting exclusion, and diversifying recruitment to get more marginalized groups playing baseball.
Made possible by a collaboration between Jays Care Foundation, Anima Leadership, Dr. Janelle Joseph, TD Canada, and Blue Jays Academy, you can register for the workshop on the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/community/baseball-academy/diversity-equity-inclusion">Jays website</a>.
<h2>Bassitts Pitch In</h2>
When Chris Bassitt signed his three-year deal with the Jays in 2023, he immediately began giving back to the community.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The Bassitt family made a visit to R.B.I Summer Edition at Rawlinson Community School today! 👏
This is one of 8 schools they are supporting through the Bassitts Pitch In initiative! To show your support for the Bassitts and this incredible program, visit <a href="https://t.co/gRhbPq1LeR">https://t.co/gRhbPq1LeR</a> <a href="https://t.co/k9cV5oU5XC">pic.twitter.com/k9cV5oU5XC</a>
&mdash; Jays Care Foundation (@JaysCare) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaysCare/status/1684984359084797983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
His charity program, Bassitts Pitch In, focuses on providing more baseball opportunities to kids in Toronto summer school through the Jays Reviving Baseball In Inner Cities (R.B.I.) Summer Program.
Over the past two seasons, Bassitt has donated $10,000 USD for every win he was credited with, which has gone towards free baseball and team-building activities to communities in need.
If you’d like to make your contribution to the foundation, you can do so <a href="https://www.jayscaredonate.com/campaign/bassitts-pitch-in/c493789">here</a>.
&#8216;El Dream&#8217; by Jose Berrios
Jose Berrios has long made significant contributions to his communities. His Team La Makina helps cover costs for little league teams in Puerto Rico, and he’s made donations towards women&#8217;s teams and park renovations.
His latest initiative called &#8216;El Dream&#8217;, launched in 2024, has partnered with Jays Care to support three of their key programs: Girls At Bat, Challenger Baseball, and R.B.I.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Inspiring the next generation 🇵🇷🇨🇦
Introducing ‘El Dream’ by José Berríos!
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1789294551120675238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The one thing they all have in common – helping groups that are less represented in baseball learn and be able to play the game. 
Throughout just its launch year, El Dream raised over $340,000 for those groups. If you’d like to make your own donation, you can do so through the La Makina Foundation <a href="https://lamakinafoundation.com/">website</a>.
<hr />
&nbsp;

Before the end of 2025’s Black History Month, Blue Jays Nation would like to celebrate some of the most influential people – players, staff, and executives – who had a tremendous impact on Toronto Blue Jays baseball.

This is the final part of a three-part series:
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/celebrating-blue-jays-during-black-history-month-part-one-the-level-of-excellence">Part one</a> celebrated Cito Gaston and Joe Carter, the two black individuals to be inducted to the Jays Level of Excellence.</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Part two featured Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, Russell Martin, and Fergie Jenkins, four outstanding black players to be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">This third and final part will feature foundations and charities surrounding the Jays.</li>
</ul>
While the foundations mentioned in this article aren’t purely focused on Black History Month, they are focused on providing aid to marginalized communities in Toronto.

Feel free to share your favourite foundations not mentioned in the article in the comments at the end of the article.
<h2>Top Of The First</h2>
The Toronto Blue Jays run a lot of programs out of their Jays Care Foundation to help get kids into baseball. In recent years, the foundation has continued to expand. In 2022, it introduced the Top Of The First program.

Focused on teaching coaches, umpires, and volunteers ways to make their baseball programs more accessible to all groups, Top Of The First provides a free three-part workshop to anyone interested.

https://twitter.com/JaysCare/status/1809975931970204041

The workshop focuses on relationship building, interrupting exclusion, and diversifying recruitment to get more marginalized groups playing baseball.

Made possible by a collaboration between Jays Care Foundation, Anima Leadership, Dr. Janelle Joseph, TD Canada, and Blue Jays Academy, you can register for the workshop on the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/community/baseball-academy/diversity-equity-inclusion">Jays website</a>.
<h2>Bassitts Pitch In</h2>
When Chris Bassitt signed his three-year deal with the Jays in 2023, he immediately began giving back to the community.

https://twitter.com/JaysCare/status/1684984359084797983

His charity program, Bassitts Pitch In, focuses on providing more baseball opportunities to kids in Toronto summer school through the Jays Reviving Baseball In Inner Cities (R.B.I.) Summer Program.

Over the past two seasons, Bassitt has donated $10,000 USD for every win he was credited with, which has gone towards free baseball and team-building activities to communities in need.

If you’d like to make your contribution to the foundation, you can do so <a href="https://www.jayscaredonate.com/campaign/bassitts-pitch-in/c493789">here</a>.

'El Dream' by Jose Berrios

Jose Berrios has long made significant contributions to his communities. His Team La Makina helps cover costs for little league teams in Puerto Rico, and he’s made donations towards women's teams and park renovations.

His latest initiative called 'El Dream', launched in 2024, has partnered with Jays Care to support three of their key programs: Girls At Bat, Challenger Baseball, and R.B.I.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1789294551120675238

The one thing they all have in common – helping groups that are less represented in baseball learn and be able to play the game. 

Throughout just its launch year, El Dream raised over $340,000 for those groups. If you’d like to make your own donation, you can do so through the La Makina Foundation <a href="https://lamakinafoundation.com/">website</a>.

<hr />

&nbsp;

Celebrating Blue Jays during Black History Month – Part Three: Charitable Foundations

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