LA children experiencing homelessness given dream birthday bash thanks to Dodgers
It's all part of the team's 19th annual community service week known as the "Dodgers Love L.A. Community Tour."
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Joy filled the air at Dodger Stadium Monday night as the team partnered with a local nonprofit to throw a massive birthday bash for hundreds of children experiencing homelessness.
The group Worthy of Love brought more than 500 children from four different shelters across Los Angeles County for a night to simply forget the hard times and have a little fun.
"Some of the kids, they don't even know their birthday," said Worth of Love Executive Director Mary Davis. "They've never even had a birthday party, so we are here to say, 'You are worthy.'"
Monday marked the 5th year the Dodgers have hosted this party and it happened to fall on the eve of what would have been Jackie Robinson's 105th birthday.
"It's once in a lifetime, that's what I think," said guest Aaron Rhodes. "Everybody should enjoy their birthday the best way they can."
It's all part of the team's 19th annual community service week known as the Dodgers Love L.A. Community Tour, and former Dodgers players Dennis Powell and Derrel Thomas were in attendance on Monday.
"I always saw baseball as a sanctuary, a place where I escape the world, and just for this night, it's a place for them to escape whatever life they are coming from," said Powell. "Just to give them a little note that somebody loves them, someone sees them, and thinks of them. They're smiling all over the place. I see smiles and laughter, they're getting their face painted, they're eating, and they're just having a great time."
On Tuesday, Freddie Freeman will be in Long Beach hosting a special food distribution event.
There will be other Dodgers players hosting similar events at other locations throughout L.A. County through the end of the week. For more information, click here.
