CLEMENTE SERVICE DAY
Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day
In December 1972, Pittsburgh Pirate legend Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash while attempting to deliver relief supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. To honor his heroism, Major League Baseball named its highest award for humanitarian and community service the Roberto Clemente Award. The Bethesda Big Train retired #21 in honor of Roberto Clemente in 2009 and it is our plan to honor Clemente each summer through a day of service that reflects Clemente's legacy of community service.
If you would like to be a part of the Third Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day in 2024, either as a volunteer or as a nonprofit host organization, please reach out to Bruce Adams at bruce@greaterwash.org.
Second Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day
In July 2023, over one hundred Big Train players, staff, interns, and fans volunteered to support six iconic community organizations for our Second Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day:
- A Wider Circle (www.awidercircle.org)
- Button Farm (www.buttonfarm.org)
- Latin American Youth Center (www.layc-dc.org)
-
Leveling the Playing Field (www.levelingtheplayingfield.
org) - Manna Food Center (www.mannafood.org)
- National Center for Children and Families (www.nccf-cares.org)
| A Wider Circle | Button Farm |
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| Worked at AWC's warehouse in Silver Spring and sorted dignity quality furtniture for our neighbors in need. | Worked on a maintenance project at the Button Farm in Germantown where The Menare Foundation provides an Underground Railroad experience. |
| Latin American Youth Center |
Leveling the Playing Field |
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| Worked with LAYC youth to help clean up Glenmont Local Part as part of Latino Conservation Week, a partnership between LAYC and Montgomery Parks. | Constructed warehouse shelves and sorted donated sports equipment to expand access and equity in youth sports. |
| Manna Food Center | National Center for Children and Families |
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| Collected 967 pounds of food at three Giant Food locations in Bethesda to help Manna fight hunger, feed hope, and help get our neighbors back on their feet. |
Helped organize a Family Day for teenagers living at the NCCF shelter in Bethesda. |
First Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day
In July 2022, over seventy Big Train players, staff, interns, and fans volunteered more than 100 hours at seven community nonprofits across Montgomery County for the Big Train's First Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day:
- Interfaith Works (www.iworksmc.org)
-
Leveling the Playing Field (www.levelingtheplayingfield.
org) - Manna Food Center (www.mannafood.org)
- Rainbow Community Development Center (www.rainbowcdc.org)
- Shepherd’s Table (www.shepherdstable.org)
- National Center for Children and Families (www.nccf-cares.org)
- Button Farm (www.buttonfarm.org)
| Interfaith Works |
Leveling the Playing Field |
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| Organized storage space for IW's emergency shelter and employment programs at Progress Place in Silver Spring. | Sorted donated sports equipment to expand access and equity in youth sports at their headquarters in Silver Spring. |
| Manna Food Center |
Rainbow Community Development Center |
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| Sorted food for distribution to those in need across the county at their headquarters in Gaithersburg. | Bagged fresh produce and stocked carts for neighbors in need at their location in Silver Spring. |
| Shepherd's Table | National Center for Children and Families |
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| Prepped, served, and cleaned up after the regular weekend brunch for people in need at Progress Place in Silver Spring. | Beautified the playground area at the Greentree Shelter for homeless families in Bethesda. |
| Button Farm |
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| Refurbished information signs at the living history farm, run by the Menare Foundation in Germantown. |
