Pitch In Mentoring Program Launches at Moos Elementary

Retired Chicago Cub Kerry Wood and wife Sarah continue “pitching in” to help enhance the lives of Chicago students through their organization, Wood Family Foundation (WFF). On Monday, September 9th they celebrated a ribbon cutting at Moos Elementary in Humboldt Park where their Pitch In mentoring program will now be available to students.

Kerry, Sarah, WFF staff, board members & volunteers welcomed incoming students and parents while unveiling the new Pitch In Resource Room and new Tech Room, both transformed from a classroom and under-utilized storage space. As a gift, WFF additionally revamped the Moos library.

The Wood Family Foundation was launched in 2011 and three years later, Pitch In was created to give students access to mentors on a weekly basis for two hours in a time span of nine months. Pitch In’s social-emotional learning curriculum is based on monthly ‘themes’ which include a spectrum of structured, age-appropriate activities and hands-on learning. By incorporating the values of teamwork and critical thinking, the program aims to ensure students complete middle school and are on-track to graduate from high school. During the summers, Pitch Inalso hosts a two-month program that features field trips and enrichment experiences in the Chicagoland area.

Having recently celebrated the first day of high school for the inaugural class of Pitch In students who were in 4thgraders when they began, the Wood Family Foundation will also be implementing the program into another CPS school - Sumner Elementary in North Lawndale.

The Pitch Inprogram is made possible by funds raised annually from WFF’s Storybook Gala taking place on Friday, September 20th at Union Station. The event will bring to life the childhood classic Harold and the Purple Crayonby Crockett Johnson for a crowd of 500 guests. including civic, social, philanthropic, corporate and education leaders. The evening will feature cocktails, dinner, desserts, dancing and décor with the theme of “Write Your Own Story,” and will explore how we can all empower more Chicago middle school students to forge their own paths to high school, college and beyond. Actress Bonnie Hunt will serve as emcee while Jim Miller will take the stage as live auctioneer. In addition, the Wood Family Foundation will honor A Better Chicago, a local venture philanthropy organization, with the 2019 Pitch In for ExcellenceAward recognizing A Better Chicago’s game-changing investment of capital and capacity-building support to help launch the next chapter of Pitch In.

With the growth and successes of the Pitch In program, the Wood Family Foundation is looking for mentors in the Chicagoland area. Please visit www.wffpitching.org for more information.

The Wood Family Foundation (WFF) is a non-profit 501c3 organization that was founded in June 2011 by Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and his wife Sarah. The WFF believes that despite the curveballs that life circumstances may throw, everyone deserves a chance to reach their full potential. WFF facilitates collaborative relationships between school partners and families that provide support and opportunities to empower students to succeed in middle school, high school, and beyond.