ESPN: Aaron Judge’s heartfelt message to yankees fans, comes as a shock.
During his second season as a full-time major leaguer, Aaron Judge and his mother, Patty, remained up late one night discussing their intentions to support the community by establishing a foundation that would eventually be named after the Yankees star.
The history of Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation, which was conceived during a pizza supper in a hotel room during the shortstop’s rookie season, is somewhat similar to that of Judge’s ALL RISE Foundation, which was established in 2018.
It all started when Jeter and his father, Charles, were inspired by a charity run by Dave Winfield that evening. Judge mentioned that his father, Wayne, was a huge Winfield fan, which may or may not be related.
Judge said, “To whom much is given, much is required,” during his foundation’s third annual All-Star Gala on Thursday at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. Having the opportunity to be in this role and on this stage, I’ve seen a lot of players before me, like Jeter and [CC] Sabathia, who all had foundations and were constantly giving back.
“It made no difference how many MVPs, All-Star Games, Cy Youngs, or anything else they had. They constantly made an effort to help others. My parents laid the groundwork, and I believe those folks did the same.
We really appreciate everyone’s support this week, whether they attended the gala in person or participated in the silent auction virtually.
With special guests from @mlb and @yankees, I’m sharing a few highlights from the evening. Additionally, @bas provided us with incredible entertainment!
Pic.twitter.com/eCgNV1vEHc @mmeventgroup
— November 22, 2024, ALLRISE Foundation (@AllRiseOfficial)
Nearly 500 people attended Judge’s most recent event, including manager Aaron Boone, Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, teammates Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Rodón and Anthony Volpe, and former Yankees Harrison Bader, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Corey Kluber, Mike Tauchman and Tyler Wade.
According to Judge, his organization wants to inspire kids and young people to fulfill their full potential and become responsible citizens.
“I had the opportunity to observe how my parents treated their students because both of them were teachers,” Judge remarked. They didn’t have to worry about whether they were the class’s top student, the A student, or the D student just making it through the course. Everyone was treated fairly and with respect by them. It was quite amazing to witness.
