MLB and the Atlanta Braves announce more than $4 million in projects for the 2025 All-Star Legacy Initiative
Atlanta, GA – Major League Baseball (MLB), the Atlanta Braves, and the Atlanta Braves Foundation today announced details of the 2025 All-Star Legacy initiative, which will ensure that 2025 MLB All-Star Week will leave a meaningful impact throughout the host communities of Atlanta. Through MLB Together (MLBTogether.com), MLB, the Braves and several longtime Braves’ community partners will make a combined investment of more than $4 million into projects aimed at providing access to baseball and softball for youth, supporting veterans, and providing resources such as sustainable food and farming to underserved communities.
The 2025 All-Star Legacy Projects will be commemorated throughout the week leading up to the 95th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. Nearly $120 million has been contributed by MLB and host Clubs to local communities through the All-Star Legacy initiative since its inception dating back to the 1997 Midsummer Classic.
“Partnering with the Atlanta Braves for the 2025 All-Star Legacy initiative is more than a collaboration –it’s a shared commitment to helping local communities through access and innovation,” said April Brown, Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility, Major League Baseball. “This year’s Legacy initiative reflects the core values of MLB Together, delivering enduring impact through ongoing commitments to youth empowerment, veteran support, and inclusive programming—while honoring the Braves’ deep-rooted dedication to the greater Atlanta community.”
“The mission of the Atlanta Braves Foundation is to build community through baseball, and we want the legacy of All-Star Week in Atlanta to leave an impact on this community that can extend for generations,” said Danielle Bedasse, Vice President of Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Atlanta Braves Foundation. “Working with Major League Baseball and our incredible corporate and community partners, we want to invest in projects across the Metro Atlanta area that reflect our organization’s heart for service and the desire to increase access to our sport, provide for the underserved in our community, and meet the needs of those who protect us all.”
2025 All-Star Legacy Projects
- Field Renovation at Rhyne Park Softball Complex: This project will create an enhanced softball experience in Cobb County’s Rhyne Park with renovations that serve local youth softball leagues while increasing access to some of those most impacted by play equity barriers. The installation, which will be done in partnership with Cobb PARKS and the Rhyne Park Girls Softball Association, features three new turf fields, a new batting cage, updated fencing, painting, windscreens and more, providing Rhyne Park Girls Softball with brand-new playing surfaces that can be used year-round. Through this project, MLB and the Braves are leveraging the momentum this successful association has already established to build excitement and offer quality softball programming to the next generation of softball athletes.
- Camp Southern Ground Warrior Fitness Trailer: In partnership with Grammy award-winning musician Zac Brown, MLB, the Braves and Camp Southern Ground are creating a Braves-themed mobile Warrior Fitness Trailer to serve veterans at Camp Southern Ground’s world-class retreat facility in Fayetteville, Georgia and beyond. This new mobile facility will allow for tailored fitness programs that promote physical and mental wellness, foster a sense of community among veterans, and assist in the transition from military service to civilian life. Camp Southern Ground is dedicated to supporting post-9/11 veterans with two core programs: Warrior Week, Camp Southern Ground’s signature workforce and wellness transition program, which helps veterans in the transition to civilian life after military service and the Warrior PATHH (Progressive Alternative Training for Helping Heroes), which aims to facilitate post-traumatic growth among combat veterans struggling with PTSD and/or combat stress. Both projects are provided at no cost to veterans and are welcome to Warriors from across the country.
- Sensory Space at Truist Park: The Braves and MLB will develop a special sensory space at Truist Park that will be open to those with neurodivergent and sensory needs during ballpark activities. Opening during All-Star Week, this space will provide a unique and inclusive location for fans and their loved ones to take a sensory break when visiting Truist Park for years to come.
- Leila Valley Community Farm Volunteer Event Powered by Food Well Alliance: Alongside Food Well Alliance and Atlanta Housing, MLB and the Braves will cultivate an innovative farm, garden and orchard at the currently undeveloped Leila Valley apartment site in southeast Atlanta. When complete, the finished seven-acre innovation farm will provide tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce to Atlanta Housing residents annually. Up to 100 Atlanta Braves, MLB, and Food Well Alliance volunteers will serve together to set the community up for successful future harvests and establish sustainable food sources for nearby residents during the Legacy project’s unveiling and harvest during All-Star Week.
- Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta Barksdale Baseball Field Renovation: In partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, the Braves and MLB will revitalize the Barksdale Club Baseball Field. The project, located at the A.R. Gus Boys & Girls Club, includes refurbishment of the baseball field, installation security fencing around the perimeter to protect the field and its users, substantial repairs to the dugout and scoreboard, as well as installation of irrigation and light systems. The Braves have been longstanding supporters of local Boys & Girls Clubs, while Boys & Girls Clubs of America, based in Atlanta, is the official charitable partner of MLB since 1997 and is a consistent beneficiary of the All-Star Legacy program since the initiative’s founding.
The All-Star Legacy initiative – which also includes funding of MLB’s national partners: The Jackie Robinson Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Stand Up To Cancer – will complement a full scope of All-Star Week community and youth-focused programs and events that will be announced at a later date. Additional community-focused efforts during the 2025 All-Star Week will be inclusive of supporting military families, celebrating children and young adults with special needs, and positive environmental sustainability practices. Of note, on April 28th MLB and the Atlanta Track Club announced the 4.4 mile run in honor of the late Braves legend, Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, with proceeds of the event benefiting two non-profits.