On Monday, July 11, fans at Petco Park in San Diego -- the positioning of the 2016 MLB All-Star Game -- will cheer on Main League Baseball stars as they launch dwelling run after residence run through the 2016 T-Mobile Dwelling Run Derby. Yet even before the beginning of this annual fan-favorite occasion, the crowd may also witness the celebration of a younger "All-Star" who showed super courage by publicly demonstrating values used by my father, Jackie Robinson, to break a private barrier. This fortunate grand prize winner was chosen out of almost 18,000 entries within the "Breaking Boundaries: In Sports activities, In Life" essay contest run by Major League Baseball and Scholastic, and generously supported by official MLB sponsor Church & Dwight. The program began in 1997. That 12 months was the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking baseball's coloration barrier, and through a wonderful (yet cold) ceremony at Shea Stadium on April 15, Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig, with my mom, Rachel, and President Invoice Clinton by his aspect, announced that my father's quantity forty two can be retired throughout the sport in perpetuity. Following that momentous evening, my mom and i divided invitations from clubs to attend their ballpark ceremonies to honor my father's legacy. One of my first ones was with the Seattle Mariners in the Kingdome, and I used to be invited to throw out the first pitch. I was so nervous entering that large cement structure full of cheering followers and a mob of press, and I was fearful that the ball wouldn't attain dwelling plate. Earlier than I knew it, there was Ken Griffey, Jr. (presently a Corridor of Fame electee) strolling up to me with his vast grin and strong arms. We exchanged encouraging phrases and signed baseballs. Cameras flashed. When a reporter requested me if this was just about celebrations at ballparks, I paused. My dad and mom have been activists, I explained. My dad was deeply invested in youth, and right then I knew that this Jackie Robinson ballpark tribute had to affect the wider group. Three months later, I retired from twenty years as a nurse midwife and educator and began a tremendous second career as an educational Programming Marketing consultant with Main League Baseball. Breaking Obstacles is a personality training and literacy program for students in grades four by means of 9. The program teaches that all of us face boundaries in our lives, even Major League players. We assist college students perceive the significance of character and the way Jackie Robinson used 9 core values to beat his barriers. The national essay contest is at the heart of this system as students apply the lessons they've realized to their own lives. By participating, youngsters uncover strengths in their very own character that can assist them overcome their private struggles, challenges, hardships, and, sure, boundaries. It is hard to imagine that this spring we are going to announce our twentieth class of essay winners. Over the years, youngsters have shared the total vary of non-public obstacles, and in the process have inspired us with their resilience. Winners receive prizes that include: a visit to the major League All-Star Game, laptop computer computer systems, a class visit from me, classroom units of Breaking Barriers T-shirts, copies of my latest novel, The Hero Two Doors Down, and tablets for their teachers. Occasionally, the stars will align and we add a ballpark go to with players to the mix. Through the years, the Breaking Boundaries program has reached greater than 22 million kids across the United States. To commemorate this twentieth anniversary, we reached out to previous winners to search out out the lengthy-time period affect the program has had on them. The responses had widespread themes of self-confidence, confidence as a writer, and hope. Peter is now a freshman at NYU Shanghai. He was a 2012 grand prize winner and an energetic Jackie Robinson Basis (JRF) Scholar at the moment. I noticed Peter final month in New York when he came in for the annual JRF convention. Born on the West Financial institution in the Center East, Peter's profitable essay described his family's escape from battle when he was five and his private journey since coming to America. Peter now speaks multiple languages and is positioning himself to be a pacesetter in world affairs. He wrote that the expertise of successful the Breaking Limitations essay contest was inspiring, "specifically in the arrogance and hope in myself that the contest sparked ... the experience showed me precisely what setting my mind to one thing can accomplish: massive issues." Malcolm, the 2015 Breaking Obstacles grand prize winner, will be in our lives without end. He is an avid baseball player from New Orleans as a member of that city's MLB City Youth Academy. Malcolm's poignant essay described how he'd been bullied for years because he stutters. What shined by the ache was his indomitable spirit. It was equally clear that by successful the breaking barriers contest, Malcolm's standing in school was elevated, and he has pledged to ship us his report card every time period. He is also getting assist together with being sponsored by MLB to attend a summer camp for youths Sports T-Shirt Designs who stutter. Malcolm summed up his expertise this way: "Profitable the competition in 2015 has allowed me to seek out my voice." We met Megan when she was 14 and she had 14 surgeries for a rare disorder. Her grand prize-successful essay showed unbelievable writing expertise. Megan can also be a baseball historian. She was so impressive that after spending a while together with her on the 2011 World Sequence, Commissioner Emeritus Selig hired her because the youth reporter for MLB.com. Megan, who is now learning journalism at Miami University (Oxford, OH), not too long ago described this system's influence on her life in the following manner: "It is one of the formative experiences of my life. From Breaking Obstacles, I have gained the world: confidence in myself and my self-identification, reminiscences to last a lifetime, the skilled opportunities of my desires and some of probably the most treasured relationships ... I may go on and on." I additionally might go on and on sharing tales from the lives of a whole bunch of youngsters we have met by means of the Breaking Obstacles program. Over the past 5 years, I've confronted my own barriers--probably the most tragic being the day my 35-12 months-old son had a fatal coronary heart attack. The loss was indescribable. Then, I met Raymond (one of many grand prize winners in 2014). He was a shy fifth grader who'd survived repeated mind surgeries and that i find myself pondering, Wouldn't my father be proud. For the past twenty years, I've shared my dad's story with children, emphasizing his strength of character. As a youngsters's e-book author, I have been capable of expand my attain and encourage another technology with lessons I've learned from him. This work is highly effective and that i really feel grateful. My father as soon as stated, "A life is not essential aside from the influence it has on other lives." That is the way he lived his life, on and off the sphere. His legacy in baseball and beyond displays the ability of this statement. From the daring display of the number 42 throughout Major League Baseball clubs, Jackie Robinson Day, the Jackie Robinson Basis, and Breaking Boundaries: In Sports activities, In Life, Jackie Robinson is a living legacy.
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