Granderson nominated for Roberto Clemente Award
UIC alum Curtis Granderson hosts his Grand Kids All Star Camp each year at Granderson Stadium. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine)
For the second year in a row, Major League Baseball All-Star Curtis Granderson is being recognized for his contributions on and off the field.
Granderson, a New York Mets outfielder and UIC alum, is one of 30 Major League Baseball players nominated by their team for the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes players for sportsmanship, community involvement and contributions to their teams.
Fans can vote by posting #VoteGrandy on the MLB’s official Facebook or Twitter account. The award will be presented at the World Series.
Roberto Clemente Day was established by the major leagues to honor the legacy of Clemente, the 12-time All-Star and Pirates Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash in 1972 while trying to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Granderson, a 2003 graduate in business, donated $5 million to UIC to build Curtis Granderson Stadium, which opened in April 2014. The stadium is home to Flames baseball, as well as Chicago youth sports organizations.
Granderson’s nonprofit organization, Grand Kids Foundation, promotes youth development through education, physical fitness and nutrition. He is the ambassador for the “Citi Home Runs for Communities” program, participated in the Mets Military Softball Classic and was the league spokesman for the White House’s “Let’s Move” anti-obesity campaign and “Drink Up” water initiative.
In July, he hosted the third annual Grand Kids All Star Camp for more than 150 kids at Granderson Stadium.
Granderson gave the kids a tour of the campus and talked about the importance of getting an education.
“[Education] gives you the ability to task, time manage, to understand failure — how to pick up from it, to ask for help. All of those different things have helped me out in my professional career,” he said. “I’m in a position where I can hopefully just guide these kids…and, last but not least, keep them having fun.”
