SF Giants Shortstop Brandon Crawford Steps Up For Area Schools

MILPITAS, CA -- No one quite steps up to the plate like San Francisco Giants' extraordinary shortstop Brandon Crawford -- especially if it involves education. After all, his mother is a fifth grade teacher at Vintage Hills Elementary School in Pleasanton.

The golden glover has done it again by placing his name behind education grants for area schools, along with Jim Foley, president of Wells Fargo’s Pacific North Region.

The team presented grants to recipients of KNBR’s Step Up to the Plate for Education program funded by Wells Fargo at AT&T Park. Through an open nomination process, schools applied to receive grants and winners were selected. Twenty-eight Bay Area schools received $100,000 in grants to support their sports, musical, S.T.E.M., art and education programs.

John Sinnott Elementary of Milpitas was among the schools. The school is receiving $1,400 to purchase lacrosse equipment and introduce its students to this "up and coming" sport, Vice Principal Kristan Prolo said.

"We have these amazing kids (playing) baseball, amazing kids playing cricket," Prolo said, adding lacrosse represents a good cross-over sport.

The school is 95 percent non-Caucasian with many Hispanics who love the game of soccer, which is along the same lines as lacrosse.

"These kids play soccer when they learn to walk. (Lacrosse) gives them another way to be active, especially when you're looking at the growing obesity rates," Prolo said. "Lacrosse is fast, and it's physical."

But it doesn't require butting heads, a bonus when considering youth sports injuries.

The Rancho Milpitas Middle School also nabbed $5,000 to pay for multicultural programs including literature to spur global awareness for its student body, which is rich with diversity.

Crawford spoke to the grant winners about the power of education.

“As a kid, my parents always emphasized the importance of an education—above and beyond participating in sports. As a Bay Area native, it is an honor to be part of a program that increases education and athletic programs for local kids,” he said.

The event marks the seventh Step Up program Wells Fargo has participated in with Crawford in its dozen years of giving back to the program. The bank chain based in San Francisco invests in the Bay Area as a notable corporate philanthropist. Wells Fargo and KNBR have given over $1.2 million in grants through the Step Up to the Plate program to support the Bay Area’s youth for the past 17 years.

"Wells Fargo is proud to support educational and athletic programs that will play a role in preparing our youth to be successful adults," Foley said. "When students and communities prosper, we all benefit."

Other education recipients include:

• Alta Heights Elementary, Napa: To purchase art and engineering materials, supplies and curriculum to stock the art and engineering classroom, $5,000
• Antioch High School, Antioch: To improve the baseball fields and purchase equipment for the Antioch High Baseball Program; $5,000
• Bancroft Middle School, San Leandro: To purchase musical instruments for the music program; $3,800
• Bayside MLK, Jr. Academy, Marin City: To recruit, train, support, and provide materials to the Academic Support program volunteers who focus on bringing struggling student's literacy up to grade level; $5,000
• Benjamin Franklin Intermediate School, Daly City: To purchase soil, mulch, trellises, seeds, and seedlings for the gardening program, drought-tolerant plants, large pots, and soil for decorative gardens; $1,000
• Canyon Middle School, Castro Valley: To buy technology equipment for the Video Journalism class such as cameras, microphones, and computers that can run current video editing software; $4,000.00
• Edgewood Community School, San Francisco: To enrich the sports program and remove barriers to access to organized sports, fitness and recreational activities for vulnerable children; $3,500
• Gateway High School,San Francisco: To support the Athletics program by purchasing team jerseys/uniforms, provide scholarships to low-income students for personal gear (shoes, knee pads, baseball gloves and pants, volleyball shorts) and cover summer league dues; $3,500.00
• James Monroe Elementary, Santa Rosa: To support the Girls & Boys Basketball program by covering the entry costs and referees, providing a small stipend for coaches, and replacing old equipment and uniforms; $4,500
• Joe Michell, Livermore: To pay for the salary of Cultural and Creative Dance instructor and dance equipment; $2,500
• Kahlon Family Services School, San Francisco: To purchase specialized services and tools (Visual - Auditory - Reading/Writing - Kinesthetic); $2,500
• Marshall Elementary, San Francisco: To enhance its art education program by purchasing classroom materials and covering transportation costs to field trips to local museums; $4,000
• Mary Farmar Elementary, Benicia: To buy musical instruments and equipment for the music program; $5,000
• Mt Diablo High School, Concord: To establish a construction program that provides children with hands-on skills and to buy materials; $5,000
• Oakland Charter High School, Oakland: To create a S.T.E.A.M (Science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) program. The funds will buy equipment and supplies (3D printers, laptops, motors, circuitry components); $5,000
• Olive Elementary School, Novato: To fund a new Awards Night program that would celebrate and recognize the achievements of students, staff, and parents, and positively change the school culture; $1,300
• Rancho Cotate High School, Rohnert Park: To start a middle school drumline music program and purchase battery percussion instruments (snare, tenors, and bass drums); $5,000
• Rodeo Hills Elementary School, Rodeo: To purchase five standing desks and encourage flexible seating arrangement; $1,200
• Roseland Accelerated Middle School, Santa Rosa: To purchase musical instruments for an after school music program (RAMS Garage Band); $1,000
• San Leandro High School, San Leandro: To purchase new golf equipment for the Boy's and Girl's Varsity Golf Teams; $5,000
• St. Dunstan Catholic School, Millbrae: To purchase uniforms for the cheerleading team and catcher’s gear for the baseball teams; $3,000
• St. John the Baptist, Napa: To support the cost of a three day outdoor educational experience for fourth grade students; $3,300.00
• St. Veronica's, South San Francisco: To purchase a new play structure for students to play during recess; $5,000
• Sunnybrae School, San Mateo: To purchase playground and sports equipment (rubber balls, soccer balls, basketballs, jump ropes, hula hoops, tennis balls and baseball gloves); $1,000
• Vintage Elementary School, Pleasanton: To assist in the day-to-day needs of the classrooms and enhance the students’ academic experience; $5,000
• Walter T. Helms Middle School, San Pablo: To buy musical equipment for the school band and orchestra music program (flutes, tenor sax, baritone sax, tuba, percussion cart); $3,500

--Image courtesy of Wells Fargo