Albert Pujols

In honor of baseball season starting, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about a future Hall of Famer who makes an impact on and off the field. Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels has countless awards for his abilities on the baseball field, but he has also received awards for his community work and character. He received the Roberto Clemente Award for his sportsmanship and contributions to the community. He has was also chosen by players for the Man of the Year Award, another one that focuses on someone who goes above and beyond for his community.

Pujols has his own organization called the Pujols Family Foundation which focuses on helping people with down syndrome. This is something that is personal to Pujols because his daughter has down syndrome. His non-profit organization helps people in the U.S. and also in Pujols' home country, the Dominican Republic. The mission of the organization is "to promote awareness, provide hope and meet tangible needs for children and families who live with Down syndrome. To improve the standard of living and quality of life for impoverished children in the Dominican Republic through education, medical relief and tangible goods. To provide extraordinary experiences for children with disabilities and/or life threatening illnesses."

The video above is a story about one of the events that the Pujols Family Foundation hosted called Albert's All-Stars. There is nothing but praise for Pujols from the families involved along with his teammates about the way he goes about helping the community. He is involved in his events and personally makes a difference with his charity work. Pujols has even teamed up with a cross-town rival from the Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw, to raise money for both of their charities. Pujols found something that he truly cares about and has improved the lives of countless people using his power as an athlete.