A Golden Day at the Ballpark
July 23, 2012 12:51 AM
Jordan Club members with Olympian Dominique Dawes
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Though the Chicago Cubs suffered a loss, young people from the James R. Jordan Club, Daniel A. Cotter Club, Robert R. McCormick Club and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Club earned a win. An inspirational discussion with Olympic gymnast and gold-medalist Dominique Dawes and a visit to The Friendly Confines made for a gold medal day thanks to a collaboration between Citi, the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Chicago Cubs.
Now in its third season, Citi Cubs Kids is an educational and motivational community-based initiative for Chicago students. The event seeks to inspire kids with the nine values and ideals of Jackie Robinson, the great American trailblazer who broke baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
Prior to the game, young people met three-time Olympian, Dominique Dawes, who was also a member of the gold-medal winning "Magnificent Seven" on the 1996 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. Dawes, who was the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, inspired the young people with a motivational speech.
Afterward, young people enjoyed a beautiful summer afternoon at Wrigley Field as they watched the Chicago Cubs take on the New York Mets. For many members, it was their first time at a major league ballpark or professional sporting event. Most exciting was when Brianna Coleman, the Junior Youth of the Year from the Daniel A. Cotter Club, was selected to participate in the Cubs' Starting Line-up Ceremony.
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