Chris Archer of Tampa Bay Rays Provides Valuable Lessons for Youth
#GoingToBat Community Spotlight: Chris Archer
Turning pages helps Rays starter Chris Archer turn around lives.
The tall, lean right-hander came across Paulo Coelho’s allegorical novel “The Alchemist” a few years ago. Drawing inspiration from the story about a shepherd named Santiago’s journey to fulfill his destiny, Archer created the Archway Foundation as a way to use his platform as a baseball player to positively impact lives.
The Archway Foundation’s mission is to help people bridge the gap between limitations and reaching goals. Archer employs this mission by teaching what he does best – baseball.
One of the Archway Foundation’s core initiatives is its baseball team. Players have the opportunity to participate without worrying about the typical costs associated with youth baseball for uniforms, coaching and equipment.
The Archway Foundation, in turn, expects the players to perform community service projects and complete reading assignments. Another part of the Archway Foundation’s mission is to teach the young athletes that “reading is cool” and being educated is important.
The Archway Foundation also works side-by-side with the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters and Clayton Area Ministries to reach young children.
With support from their partners, the Archway Foundation provided gifts to local families for the holidays, as well as gave turkeys to local families for Thanksgiving.
Last year, the Archway Foundation joined forces with Good Sport Inc. to donate $59,000 worth of equipment to the Boys and Girls Club in Wake County, North Carolina – Archer’s home state. The Archway Foundation has also donated close to $12,000 to the Tampa Police Athletic League after-school program.
The Archway Foundation holds fundraising events throughout the year to benefit various initiatives. The 3rd annual Archway Foundation Golf Tournament is being held this fall.
Bookmark the Archway Foundation to keep tabs on all of its great work.
Major Leaguers are #GoingToBat for causes near and dear to them, as they personify the Players Trust’s motto to ‘care, act and inspire.’ To learn more about the charitable interests and activities of Chris Archer and other Major Leaguers, please click here.
