ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 02: Pujols Family Foundation Executive Director/CEO Todd Perry attends a press conference for the latest short film by I Am Second at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 2, 2013 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/WireImage)
As for what informs this wide array of programming? Put quite simply – the people. As Pujols notes
“when I go back to the DR in the off season, we listen to the people and their needs. They keep me grounded. They remind me of what is most important in my life. Once again, we listen to the people, [then] we will assess the needs.”
When asked what the most fulfilling part of the past 10 years, neither Perry nor Pujols can point to simply one event. As Perry shared,
“there have been so many moments, so many events, so many families helped its impossible to point to one thing, when people ask me what my favorite event is I say – it’s the last one – because it’s the one we just finished [and] because they are all independent and unique, but continue the trajectory of the foundation.”
For Pujols its simply having a platform to do some good “first, this my passion. Deirdre and I have a daughter with Down syndrome. Dee Dee says all of the time. ‘We didn’t choose Down syndrome, Down syndrome chose us.’ Having a child with special needs will change everything in your life. Also, growing up in the DR I had a first hand understanding of global poverty. These are the things I know. The things I can talk about with conviction. These are the areas I feel like I can make a difference. God has blessed me with the platform of baseball, so that we can do this work for His Kingdom. That’s what I find fulfilling.”
The work has not gone unnoticed. In 2008 MLB awarded him the Roberto Clemente award for his off-field example and efforts, and more recently All Sports United, a not-for-profit organization which encourages athletes to engage in philanthropic work has nominated Pujols for its 2015 Humanitarian Award as part of its All-Stars of Giving Campaign. To vote for Albert for the Humanitarian Award and learn more or donate to The Pujols Family Foundation visit Givkwik.com.
So, with a decade of success under their belts we had to ask where would they like to see the foundation go over the next 10 years? Both Perry and Pujols answer is refreshingly sincere, simple and succinct “wherever God leads us.”
