Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts was honored with the Roberto Clemente Award. The former MVP is the fourth Dodger to win the leaguewide award, joining Justin Turner (2022), Clayton Kershaw (2012) and Steve Garvey (1981).

Betts has a long history of community involvement that started back in 2011 when he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. Betts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 and he and his wife Brianna, sought to make an impact on their new home through his organization, the 5050 Foundation. The vision of the foundation is “to help the youth in their communities -- Los Angeles and Nashville, Tenn. -- develop resources for success, based around four pillars: physical fitness, mental and emotional health, nutrition and financial literacy.”

"I remember many nights, me and Bri going to drop off food. But nobody knew," Betts said after receiving the award. "We're not doing that for press or anything. But I just remember that was kind of the beginning of us getting involved in the community."

"It means a lot," Betts continued. "Life is about more than what you do, I think, as far as work. It's about how you affect people. People always remember how you make them feel. So I know we live by that."

This year, the 5050 Foundation gave significant relief during the L.A. area wild fires by donating more than $30,000 of Nike clothing to victims. The 5050 Foundation also partnered with the Dodgers Foundation to donate more than $160,000 to Brotherhood Crusade, which works to help fight hunger and homelessness in L.A. 

“We go off of our feel and joy in seeing the kids," Brianna added. "We have requirements of course, but we go off of what we feel in the community, when we're in that space, and taking that moment in. We feel things from the kids, and they ask us questions, and they're involved, and that makes us want to get involved."

Originally known as the Commissioner's Award, it was renamed in 1973 after Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente, following his tragic death in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake

“Its really cool just to be able to hold up this award," Betts said, "and to know that this had nothing to do with baseball."