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During an April 26, 2010, White House ceremony honoring the team's 2009 World Series championship, President Barack Obama publicly recognized the Yankees' HOPE Week initiative.
Introduced in 2009 and heading into its fourth year in 2012, the Yankees' HOPE Week initiative (Helping Others Persevere & Excel) is rooted in the fundamental belief that acts of goodwill provide hope and encouragement to more than just the recipient of the gesture.
On each of five consecutive days during the celebration of HOPE Week, the Yankees shine a spotlight on a different individual, family or organization worthy of recognition and support. Each day is designed so honorees can share their inspirational stories with Yankees players, fans and the media, while being surprised with the day of their dreams. Though each day's celebration ultimately culminates with a visit to Yankee Stadium on the day of a game, outreach typically takes place at a location in the community that symbolizes the accomplishments of the honoree.
At its core, HOPE Week is about people helping people. The one thing everybody has - no matter where they come from, what their financial situation is or what kind of skills they possess - is time. By involving every one of our players and coaches, Manager Joe Girardi, General Manager Brian Cashman and the entire front office staff during the celebration of HOPE Week, the Yankees are sending the message that everyone can give of themselves to make their community a better place.
Equally significant during HOPE Week is garnering publicity for the highlighted causes and organizations. The greatest challenge facing many not-for-profits is generating interest, awareness and funding for their missions.
Since 2010, the Yankees have partnered with the White House's United We Serve initiative, raising awareness of the President's call for Americans to become more involved in community service. The Yankees encourage fans to visit Serve.gov to find volunteer opportunities in their communities.
The Yankees' HOPE Week initiative is an organizational effort, integrating players, coaches, the Yankees front office, dozens of sponsors and some of New York's most iconic social and corporate institutions.
The initial phase of HOPE Week planning involves the selection of the honorees. In order to draw on the most diverse and inspiring group possible, an online nomination form is made available to the public on yankees.com. Additionally, the Yankees Media Relations Department reviews general fan mail and independently reaches out to other public social institutions to find exceptional individuals to recognize.
HOPE Week is designed to be an event that fans look forward to every year. To generate greater public awareness of the project, the Yankees have kicked off each HOPE Week Monday on the TODAY show, with prominent Yankees such as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez making appearances to discuss the spirit of the initiative.
Throughout the five-day stretch of games, the HOPE Week narrative is woven into the Yankees' on-field activities. Honorees are treated like members of the team, joining players and coaches next to the hitting cage during batting practice and on the field after victories for celebratory high fives. They also participate in traditional pregame festivities, including ceremonial first pitches and the exchange of team lineup cards. Most importantly, all are given a platform to tell their inspiring stories in their own voices.
As is the HOPE Week tradition, all celebrants from prior years are invited back to celebrate with current honorees. The gesture of returning to give back where they once received symbolizes what HOPE Week aspires to be.
At the conclusion of HOPE Week 2010 and 2011, the Yankees and the Steinbrenner family were honored with the President's Volunteer Service Award, given "in recognition and appreciation of commitment to strengthening the Nation and for making a difference through volunteer service." The award was bestowed by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in conjunction with the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Click here to see the Presidential Certificate Awarded to the Steinbrenner family.
Click here to see the Presidential Certificate Awarded to the Yankees.
Click here to see the letter from President Obama to the Yankees.
Each of the five honorees during HOPE Week is given a day of their dreams, complete with surprise elements involving Yankees players, dignitaries and celebrities. Throughout the entire process, local, national and international media are given the opportunity to film, record and report on events to allow for comprehensive storytelling over a complete range of media platforms. The goal is to give these exemplary individuals the largest possible audience to hear their inspirational messages.
All events are designed to generate attention and raise the profile of serious social issues affecting our nation and the world. Beyond getting these stories into the mainstream media, the Yankees organization looks to reward honorees for their fortitude in the face of adversity.
The attention that HOPE Week has brought to different causes and charities has changed lives permanently for the better. Within three weeks of being honored during the 2011 celebration, Daniel's Music Foundation was able to increase the number of students in its programs from 150 to 250, allowing 100 additional disabled men, women and children in New York City to receive free therapeutic music instruction. HOPE Week 2010 honoree Mohamed Kamara, who less than 10 years ago was foraging through the forests of war-torn Sierra Leone to provide food for his family, enjoyed a paid internship at the New York Stock Exchange in the summer of 2011 in recognition of his remarkable story.
The Yankees are proud that the Minnesota Twins were inspired to hold their own HOPE Week from June 12-18, 2011. Other organizations and community groups, including the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and Dittman Incentive Marketing, have also begun similar HOPE-themed projects to honor heroes in their respective communities.
Daniel's Music Foundation
A non-profit organization that provides free music instruction to individuals with disabilities in the New York City area. Learn More »
Tuesday's Children
A non-profit family service organization that promotes healing and recovery for those impacted by the events of September 11, 2001, and other incidents of terrorism worldwide. Learn More »
Ss. Joachim and Anne's School
The Queens, N.Y., school that opened its arms to child refugees of the January 2010 Haitian earthquake. Learn More »
Special Olympics ($5,000) and Seton Foundation for Learning ($5,000)
The Special Olympics is a forum where athletes with intellectual disabilities are celebrated for their accomplishments. Learn More »
The Seton Foundation oversees schools for the disabled, providing supportive and stimulating educational environments. Learn More »
Miracle League of Northampton County
A non-profit organization created to build and operate a specially equipped baseball field for individuals with disabilities in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Learn More »
After nearly dying from a brain aneurysm at age 12 in 1997 and enduring a year-long hospital stay, Daniel Trush [L] began music therapy classes. His transformation as a result of playing music was so profound that his family established Daniel's Music Foundation (DMF), a not-for-profit organization which provides free music instruction to individuals with disabilities in the five boroughs of New York City.
The Yankees teamed up with DMF on a special concert at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway. Yankees players Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Francisco Cervelli and Chris Dickerson were joined by former Yankee and Latin Grammy Award nominee Bernie Williams, Latin pop star Romeo Santos, as well as a plethora of Broadway stars who contributed their talents to an unforgettable performance.
During the tragic day of September 11, 2001, thousands of children lost their parents and thousands of parents lost their children. In the 10 years since that dark day, the voids created from the losses continue to be immeasurable. Tuesday's Children was founded in the year following the terrorist attacks to promote healing and recovery. The organization established a unique mentoring program that has helped to heal still-open wounds.
Tuesday's events saw Yankees players Mariano Rivera, Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes, Luis Ayala, Cory Wade and Steve Garrison, along with former Yankees Manager Joe Torre, surprise Tuesday's Children at the Beekman Beach Club at the South Street Seaport for lunch, games, and a ride on the Delta Baseball Water Taxi. The boat ride took mentors and mentees past the Statue of Liberty and on to Yankee Stadium, where they were honored by the Yankees as special guests during the game that evening.
For 15 child refugees who endured the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, it was the loving arms of Ss. Joachim and Anne's School in Queens Village, N.Y., that took them in. The children, now aged 7 to 13, arrived in New York with nothing, having lost loved ones and been witness to unspeakable horrors. All have taken to their new home and cherish their opportunity at an education.
Wednesday's festivities saw the Yankees host the young Haitian refugees for a day game at Yankee Stadium, after which players CC Sabathia, Jorge Posada and Freddy Garcia, along with coaches Mike Harkey and Tony Pena, joined the children on a Gray Line New York double-decker bus tour of Manhattan. Stops included the Empire State Building, where the children participated in a ceremonial lighting of the building followed by a visit to the observation deck. The trip continued to Times Square, where Derek Jeter surprised everyone by delivering pizzas. The final stop of the day was at St. Patrick's Cathedral, where Archbishop Timothy Dolan gave a tour of the building and hosted the children for dessert in his private residence.
Megan Ajello, 17, is her neighborhood's fiercest community activist, fighting for handicapped-accessibility for her local playground and holding an annual charity lemonade stand in front of her home in Staten Island. Her biggest battle, however, is against cerebral palsy and scoliosis, which have necessitated six major surgeries, including a spinal fusion.
On Thursday, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman as well as Robinson Cano, David Robertson, A.J. Burnett, Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez and Boone Logan joined coaches Mick Kelleher, Rob Thomson and Charlie Wonsowicz at Megan's charity lemonade stand. The team helped Megan raise money throughout the day. Food was available for all and music filled the street as a dunk tank was brought in for neighbors to dunk Yankees players for charity. Together, Megan and the Yankees raised over $12,000 for the Special Olympics.
John Lahutsky [C], 21,and Andrei Sullivan [L], 19, were Russian orphans who became best friends as little boys in their Moscow orphanage. Considered "incurables" due to their cerebral palsy, they were offered no education or physical therapy and kept indoors for years at a time. They were adopted by American families at ages 5 and 9, respectively, and reunited after 14 years during HOPE Week 2011. John recently wrote a book, The Boy from Baby House 10, which details his suffering in the Russian orphanage system.
Friday's events saw the surprise reunion of John and Andrei, who had not seen each other since 1997, when they were inseparable best friends in an abusive Russian orphanage. They were brought together while visiting the TODAY show at NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center. The pair was given royal treatment on a carriage ride with Yankees manager Joe Girardi to the Central Park Zoo, where they met up with Yankees players Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner, and Yankees coaches Kevin Long and Larry Rothschild for a tour and outdoor lunch on the grounds.
For a look back on past year's HOPE Week Honorees, please visit our archives »
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