Fifteen MLB Stars Among World Class Nominees for Service Award

Written by: Jerry Milani on 19th October 2009

Fifteen MLB Stars Among World Class Nominees for Service Award | read this item

Though a Hall of Fame football player heads the organization giving the award, 15 baseball stars, more than any other sport, are among the nominees for a prestigious service award.

Ronnie Lott, NFL Hall of Famer and founder of All Stars Helping Kids, recently announced a landmark partnership with the Jefferson Awards for Public Service to recognize top athletes who have given back to their community. Past recipients of Jefferson Awards for Public Service include Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Lance Armstrong and Bill and Melinda Gates.

Over the last few months, teams and leagues from across the sports world nominated 53 athletes who have a proven track record of community outreach as well as those that are just getting started, but possess a sincere passion for service. Thanks to AT&T, fans can vote for their favorite nominee by text message or online by clicking here. Voting ends November 15th.

Among the baseball nominees are perennial All-Stars Magglio Ordonez, Jim Thome and Michael Young. Some stars from other sports include soccer star Mia Hamm, basketball standout Devin Harris, football All-Pro Ray Lewis, Olympic Gold Medal volleyball player Kerri Walsh, and tennis superstar Venus Williams.

“One thing these nominees have in common is a passion for looking beyond their sport. They’re stretching themselves- driven to succeed in their community as well as in competition,” Lott said. “I encourage people to read about these men and women and follow their examples.”

From this group, five finalists will be chosen in each of two categories: Outstanding Athlete in Service and Outstanding Athlete as a Newcomer in Service. One athlete in each category will be awarded a national Jefferson Award for Public Service.

On December 8, 2009, 10 athletes will win spots on the “Dream Team for Public Service” at the All Stars Helping Kids’ Sports, Business & Philanthropy Luncheon in New York. In June 2010, the 10 “Dream Team” members will be invited to attend the Jefferson Awards National Ceremony in Washington, D.C., where two winners will receive the prestigious Jefferson Awards for Public Service in the categories of Outstanding Athlete in Service and Outstanding Athlete as a Newcomer in Service. Additionally, the nominee with the most online and text votes will be the winner of the AT&T Fan Favorite Award.

Baseball Nominees for the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Service by an Athlete are as follows:

(To vote for a nominee, text STAR code to the right to 55333. Standard text messaging rates apply.)

Jeremy Affeldt (San Francisco Giants)             STAR1
Dallas Braden (Oakland Athletics)                 STAR5
Billy Butler (Kansas City Royals)                 STAR7
Curtis Granderson (Detroit Tigers)                STAR13
Cole Hamels (Philadelphia Phillies)               STAR52
Joel Hanrahan (Washington Nationals)              STAR16
Aaron Harang (Cincinnati Reds)                    STAR17
Magglio Ordonez (Detroit Tigers)                  STAR30
Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati Reds)                STAR31
Mark Teahen (Kansas City Royals)                  STAR38
Jim Thome (Los Angeles Dodgers)                   STAR40
Brandon Webb (Arizona Diamondbacks)               STAR43
CJ Wilson (Texas Rangers)                         STAR46
Michael Young (Texas Rangers)                     STAR48
Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)             STAR49

For a full list of nominees, click here.

The Jefferson Awards began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to Action for Volunteers” in local communities.

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Topics: All Stars Helping Kids, awards, Baseball Stars, Bill And Melinda Gates, Community Outreach, Hall Of Fame Football, Jefferson Awards, Jim Thome, Kerri Walsh, Kids Sports, Lance Armstrong, Landmark Partnership, Mia Hamm, Mlb Stars, Nfl Hall, Olympic Gold Medal, Oprah Winfrey, Ronnie Lott, service, Soccer Star Mia, Tennis Superstar, Volleyball Player

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October 21, 2009 at 3:14 am

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