Blue Jays for Baltimore Inc., founded by a group of current Junior Hopkins football players, is an IRS-approved charity driven by a strong passion for improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the youth in Baltimore. With our membership reaching almost 40 individuals, including a mix of football players and athletes from several women’s varsity teams, our goal is to build an organization with a tradition of welcoming new members each year and passing on leadership roles. We want Blue Jays for Baltimore to outlive the class of 2025 while continuing to foster a diverse group of motivated Johns Hopkins student-athletes.
In just our first year, BJB has organized several successful fundraising and volunteering initiatives highlighted by a golf tournament aimed at supporting youth sports teams at the Henderson Hopkins School. The tournament raised approximately $12000, which we have allocated to the funding of several youth teams that will be led by Hopkins athletes this spring. These teams will allow Henderson Hopkins to participate in interscholastic competitions with middle schools across the city. Coupled with our fundraising, is our dedication to hands-on service in the community through consistent involvement in the weekly food pantry handouts at Henderson Hopkins. BJB is also beginning a partnership with a Baltimore-based non-profit, Next One Up. Founded by Hopkins lacrosse alum, Matt Hanna, Next One Up has a similar goal centered around the advancement of young boys in the Baltimore community. During the 2023 football training camp, BJB organized a 50-person effort to unload and assemble a brand-new weightlifting facility for Next One Up (pictured below). Also, in conjunction with NOU, we organized a seminar for the football program on life in Baltimore, systemic racism, and NOU’s strategies for supporting young black men in our city. At the start of the second semester, we will begin engaging their young student athletes on a weekly basis through mentorship, tutoring, and athletic training.
Blue Jays for Baltimore is currently working on expanding our organization to include members of other varsity sports teams. Our vision is to encourage other teams to use our non-profit designation to boost their own fundraising efforts and to foster a collaborative movement for all teams to make a greater difference volunteering in the community. We envision each varsity team having a mix of independent goals, for which our non-profit designation can amplify their impact, and for our teams to come together for other programs such as the strengthening of youth sports at Henderson Hopkins. Our female athletes have already jump-started their involvement in the Baltimore community through their recent approval to start a middle school program dedicated to the empowerment and mentorship of young girls interested in engaging further in fitness, health, and wellbeing. This weekly after-school program, entitled “Girls in Fitness Club”, will be led by JHU Women’s Soccer players, and will consist of a variation of team-based activity days and themed discussions. Discussion topics will be focused on seeking balance between academics and athletics, hygiene, nutrition, exploring athletic interests, and the world of female sports.
Blue Jays for Baltimore is also looking forward to promoting a greater sense of social connection between our varsity teams through the organizing of social events. This past spring, we hosted a hugely successful trivia night at a local pizzeria and have plans to host a local band in concert this spring! The funds from each event will be reinvested into our service efforts.
BJB has two big events on the horizon for Spring 2024. The first is a 7-on-7 touch football tournament for high school teams in Baltimore that we plan to host on Homewood Field. Unique to other 7-on-7 tournaments, ours will be focused on taking down the stigma surrounding mental health for student athletes. We plan to provide the athletes with critical resources for improving their own discussions of mental health and to host a guest speaker with an expertise in dealing with the obstacles faced by young athletes. In addition to supporting their mental health, BJB plans to have stations which will offer additional support in the form of nutritional information, strength training advice from experts, and career/college readiness training from the JHU Life Design Lab and Admissions office. This event is tentatively scheduled for May 4th.
Our second spring event will be our “Women in Sports Day” for the elementary and middle school girls of Henderson Hopkins. With a focus on health and empowerment, this half-day event will include a mix of field day style events and interactive learning with our female Hopkins athletes. The girls participating will have the opportunity to connect with high-achieving women from a variety of sports programs and areas of study, and their families will be encouraged to join us for a cookout after the event!
In essence, Blue Jays for Baltimore is driven by a vision to improve the health and wellbeing of the youth in our city by empowering students through sports, mentorship, and community involvement.
Our board member biographies can be found on the following pages!!
Our website can be found at bluejaysforbaltimore.org
We can be reached at bluejaysforbaltimore@gmail.com