LADF breaks ground on Dodgers Dreamfields 64 and 65 at Jim Thorpe Park
by Erin Edwards
The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF), in partnership with the City of Hawthorne and Kershaw’s Challenge, broke ground on Dodgers Dreamfields 64 and 65 at Jim Thorpe Park on Sept. 10.
The event marked the start of construction on the latest fields in the Dodgers Dreamfields program, a project that continues LADF’s commitment to revitalizing local communities by creating quality, safe spaces for youth baseball and softball participants.
The $850,000 investment will transform Jim Thorpe Park into a vibrant community hub, enhancing baseball and softball programming for local youth ages 5–12 and high-school-aged players.
The groundbreaking ceremony included a ceremonial shovel dedication and featured remarks from LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, LA84 Foundation Chief Impact Officer Sandra J. Martinez and Security Benefit Regional Vice President of Southern California Anthony J. Martinez.
The event celebrated the vision of creating spaces where neighbors can gather, exercise, and play while boosting the safety and vitality of local parks.
Kershaw — whose foundation Kershaw’s Challenge is a lead partner in the project — expressed his passion for providing meaningful opportunities to young people.
“The goal is just to be able to give kids an opportunity to do something that they might not have been able to do before,” Kershaw said. “So whether that’s baseball, whether that’s getting outside, whether that’s being a part of a team, learning how to work together, there’s so many different things that can be impactful for a kid’s life…and who knows, maybe we’ll find the next Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman out here on this field.”
The project at Jim Thorpe Park will include upgraded fencing, customized signage, new foul poles, renovated dugouts, an enlarged field, two new scoreboards, refreshed infield mix and sod, refurbished backstops, and a new bullpen. The two new fields will help meet the needs of more than 24,000 youth, providing opportunities for sports, social and emotional learning, and access to educational resources through LADF’s Dodgers Dreamteam program.
This initiative represents a critical step in improving park access for Hawthorne’s 96,000 residents where only 1% of land is currently dedicated to parks and recreation.
This effort aligns with LADF’s broader goal of building infrastructure to create a lasting impact throughout Los Angeles. Since 2003, LADF has invested over $20 million in refurbishing 63 Dodgers Dreamfields, and the completion of fields 64 and 65 will bring safe, quality playing environments to over 1.7 million youth and their families. As LADF approaches its target of 75 Dreamfields by 2033, it continues to foster a spirit of community and resilience.
For more information about LADF or to support this transformative project, please visit Dodgers.com/Dreamfields.
LADF Breaks Ground on Dodgers Dreamfields 64 and 65 at Jim Thorpe Park was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.