Travis Hafner

Cleveland slugger Travis Hafner was the Indians nominee for the 2007 Roberto Clemente award, given to the player for whom best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and their own contributions to their team.

Hafner has been a leader in the greater Cleveland Community for some time now, not only because of of what he has done on the field to generate excitement, but because of what he does off of the field to give back to the city.

His most recognizable community function has been what is called, “Pronkta Claus”. This is an event held each December where Hafner appears at a local mall to sign autographs for fans who donate new or unwrapped toys to benefit a local foster care adoption agency, Beech Brook. The event has been bringing in upwards of $6500 annually during it’s four years of existence.

Hafner also works closely with the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Animal Protective League.

With the Boys and Girls Club, Hafner has created a program aptly named, “Pronks Peeps”. Through this he is able to reach out to over 550 boys and girls ages 11-14 in area schools to help promote positive attitudes and behaviors. The Boys and Girls Club’s goal with this program is to help kids build confidence and self-esteem in order to be successful in high school and in life.

To promote compassion and ethical treatment of pets, Travis and his wife Amy are also spokespeople for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Each year they host a night at Progressive Field where they have animals at the ballpark, and public service announcements are given throughout the game. The Cleveland APL provides shelter to homeless animals relinquished by their guardians, animals that are rescued from abuse or neglect, and stray or abandoned cats.