By BRANDON SCHWARTZBERG and HAYDEN SMITHCapital News ServiceBALTIMORE — Two hours before gametime at Camden Yards during the 2024 season, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tyler Wells stood in the dugout and spoke quietly about a family tragedy.When he was 4 years old, Wells lost his mother to leukemia.Th e death of a parent as a small child has given Wells special empathy for those impacted by cancer.“I think that’s something that really hits close to home,” Wells said.When Wells played in the Class A minor leagues, his team partnered with Vs. Cancer, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support families that have been affected by pediatric brain cancer. At a game, Wells recalled, a child under treatment was brought to the field and it was announced that he was cancer free. Fans watched the emotional moment on the ballpark’s video board.Wells knew at that moment the fit with Vs. Cancer was right. He has worked with the organization ever since.“Those kids can’t do a whole lot,” Wells said. “I try to give back any way I can.”Wells’s story is an example of one approach to philanthropy pursued by professional athletes. Rather than start a charity or foundation, they join in the work of an established charity.An organization that attracted Wells and many baseball players is Big League Impact, which was founded by former big-league pitcher Adam Wainwright.“I don’t feel like I was at a point in my career yet where I could start a Big League Impact myself,” said Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays, a former teammate of Wells with the Orioles and, like Wells,  someone who has worked with BLI. “But these guys have been in the big leagues for 10-plus years. They’ve had a lot of great leaders along the way.”Wainwright, a three-time All Star with the St. Louis Cardinals, has the credentials to be a leader in sports philanthropy. In 2020, Major League Baseball honored him with the Roberto Clemente Award, named for the former Pittsburgh Pirates great and humanitarian who died in a plane crash while traveling to aid victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua in 1973.In 2013, Wainwright traveled to Haiti to observe how water was being brought to communities in need. When he returned, he became committed to supporting organizations like those that he observed leading relief efforts in Haiti, said Keith Brooks, Executive Director of Big League Impact.Wainwright’s idea, which eventually became Big League Impact, had its start as a fantasy football event called Waino’s World. Money raised aided a St. Louis nonprofit, Operation Food Search, and an international clean water engineering organization called Water Mission.“It was just a really great concept to play off of this pro athlete intrigue, but then also talk about how we can use this for good,” said Scott Linebrink, a former Major League Baseball player and current brand ambassador for Water Mission.Linebrink spent his last season in the Cardinals organization as a teammate of Wainwright. Their relationship grew when they went on relief missions to Haiti and Honduras.Linebrink recalled discussing with Wainright, “How do we address these issues around the world, but also how do we empower other baseball players and pro athletes to use their influence and their position…?”Big League Impact is one of several non-profits that enlist pro athletes into charitable work. Others include Athletes Charitable, whose leaders include nine-year National Football League player Hannibal Navies, and The Players Alliance, a non-profit formed by former and current Major League Baseball players, including many players of color. It focuses on making the sport more equitable and inclusive.Big League Impact hosts a yearly #ALLWIN campaign, a donation-based initiative that works with MLB teams and their players to raise money for charities that the athletes select.Players in the campaign pick a charity they feel a connection to, often because they or family members have been impacted by a medical condition or other life circumstance.The Orioles were among seven teams to partner with #ALLWIN for the 2024 season. Orioles pitcher Kyle Gibson, a Big League Impact vice president, brought the campaign to Baltimore when he joined the team for the 2023 season. He quickly recruited then teammates Wells, Hays and Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins.Wells and Hays supported charities that assist children with medical needs. Mullins’s charitable giving included donations to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation for every Orioles victory. Mullins revealed in 2022 on X that he had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2020.Big League Impact helped Mullins find his cause as it has dozens of other ball players over the years.Said Hays: “I hope I get to a point in my career one day where I feel capable of accomplishing something like starting a Big League Impact. In the meantime, I just want to be a part of what they are doing.” ...read more read less