The Charleston RiverDogs are ending the 2025 season on a high note -- with a large cash donation to a local children’s hospital.
The team on Sunday made a $100,000 donation -- a record-high for the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays -- to Medical University of South Carolina Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, complete with a ceremonial giant check, before Charleston’s final home game of the year at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park against the Augusta GreenJackets.
“One of our team’s most important missions is to impact the Lowcountry beyond the walls of Riley Park,” RiverDogs president and GM Dave Echols said in a press release. “We’re honored to be able to support MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and their life-saving and -changing work.”
This builds on a longstanding relationship between the RiverDogs and Shawn Jenkins, who became the club’s official charitable partner in 2020. The team has been donating annually to the hospital since 2017.
This year’s record donation was driven primarily by fundraising at the team’s annual Hot Stove Banquet, where special guest speaker Bo Jackson donated personal experiences for attendees to bid on. The RiverDogs hosted a slate of other non-baseball events throughout the year that aided their fundraising capabilities, including the team’s Run Charlie Run 5K, Legends in the South softball game and an annual golf tournament.
The result was a donation unlike any that came before. And the RiverDogs plan to continue to aim high every year to help the children of the Lowcountry.
“We are incredibly grateful to the RiverDogs and their community of supporters for this record-breaking donation. Every dollar donated helps us provide life-changing care to children and families across the state of South Carolina,” said Mark Scheurer, M.D., chief of Children’s and Women’s Services at MUSC. “This check is a powerful reminder of what this community can accomplish when we come together with a purpose for compassion.”