Coming off the spiritual and emotional holiday season, many people are filled with graciousness and make a pledge to "pay it forward" by becoming involved with a charitable organization or volunteering their time to help others in the community. 

For Anthony Rizzo, paying it forward is a lifelong pursuit through the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation whose mission is "to raise money for cancer research and to provide support to children and their families battling the disease. The Foundation is run entirely by Anthony’s family, his close friends and his management team with Anthony providing oversight and leadership."

When he was 18, Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He entered remission in 2008 after months of chemotherapy and treatment, vowing to use his platform as a professional baseball player to be a role model for cancer patients and their families. The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation was created in 2012 as a 501(c)(3) organization benefiting cancer research and treatment.

Since then, the foundation has raised millions of dollars to aid patients and families at the Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, FL, and the Family Reach Foundation among many others.

In 2017, the foundation created the Hope 44 program, which assists families of children with cancer by providing one-on-one counseling and support at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System.

For his extraordinary efforts with the foundation, Rizzo was honored with the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."

Rizzo also received the 2017 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award given to the player "whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to higher levels of achievement."

Though he's humbled by the recognition and proud of the honor, Rizzo said the Foundation didn't experience a huge spike in donations because their donors have always been incredibly supportive.

Honestly, we’ve had so much great support over time from our donors, it’s not like we saw a giant spike, and I think that just speaks to how generous our donors and supporters have been and how constant they’ve been.

On the goals for the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation in 2018...

Growth. Really we just plan on growing. Hopefully we can roll out another Hope 44 program at another hospital, but as of now just continuing to grow and move forward. We have three events: the walk, the laugh-off and the cook-off, and we’re looking to make those the best they’ve ever been and just continue to push forward.

Learn more about the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, donate, or register for upcoming events at rizzo44.com.

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