Justin Turner was named the Los Angeles Dodgers’ nominee for the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award, marking a third time he has been up for the prestigious honor. Turner was previously nominated in 2017 and 2018.
“Being nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award by this great organization is something that my wife Kourtney and I are so proud of, and it’s truly an honor to be recognized,” Turner said in a statement.
“We feel so fortunate to be able to give back – especially during these hard times due to the coronavirus – and support our homeless veterans, hospitals, schools and youth sports. We have the greatest fans in all of baseball who support us year-round, and we have a duty, a responsibility to give back to the community above and beyond.”
The Roberto Clemente Award is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Turner, along with his wife Kourtney, have been pillars in the local community. The Justin Turner Foundation has supported countless homeless veterans and others in need by partnering with The Dream Center.
They expanded their efforts this year to support The Dream Center’s drive-thru service by ordering food from local restaurants that was then delivered to the nonprofit center and distributed to those impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In June, the Kourtney and Justin Turner Food Bank was unveiled at The Dream Center.
The Turners also donated several meals per week to doctors, nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Justin, Kourtney and the Justin Turner Foundation were previously recognized by being added to the Spotlight Wall at CHLA in recognition of their philanthropic efforts.
Last December, the Justin Turner Foundation hosted its first ever Winter Wonderland for CHLA patients and their family members, bringing a little holiday joy to those who were enduring a tough time.
Wednesday, Sept. 9, is the 19th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor his legacy as a humanitarian and to officially acknowledge each team nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.
As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and lineup cards, and a special tribute video will be played in every ballpark.
How to vote for Roberto Clemente Award
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be selected by a blue ribbon panel that includes MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, representatives from MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS, MLB.com, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr.
Beginning Thursday, fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award via mlb.com/clemente21. Voting ends Sunday, Sept. 27. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue ribbon panel.
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