For over a decade, The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has been committed to improving relationships between law enforcement and at-risk youth through our signature programming called Badges for Baseball, a juvenile crime prevention initiative created in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice.
When fully implemented, Badges for Baseball is a multifaceted sports and mentoring program that teaches important life lessons to at-risk youth. Law enforcement volunteers and youth partners at local community-based organizations are trained by the Foundation team to use baseball as a hook to reach and teach kids about how to make positive choices both on the field and in life.
Badges for Baseball runs year-round so mentors are able to interact and engage with at-risk youth on a weekly basis during critical after school hours. Reaching children at this tenuous time in their development is the key to transformational change in distressed communities throughout the U.S.
In 2016, Badges for Baseball ran in 372 communities in 18 states impacting 28,837 at-risk youth with the help of 584 law enforcement officers.
Learn more at www.ripkenfoundation.org.