Team to be renamed San Quentin Giants
SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (August 24, 2023) – Pollen Initiative – an organization dedicated to cultivating rehabilitative programs inside prisons across the U.S. – today announced a new partnership with the San Francisco Giants to provide philanthropic support to San Quentin Baseball, the official baseball team of San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQRC). In an effort to support meaningful prison reform initiatives and powerful rehabilitation programs, the program will strengthen one of the prison’s longest running and most successful restorative initiatives. As part of the partnership, the team will also be renamed the San Quentin Giants.
For more than 70 years, the San Quentin Baseball team has helped the incarcerated population at SQSP develop valuable skills, including teamwork, discipline, and effective communication – crucial tools for success inside prison walls and upon reentry into the broader society.
“We are proud to work alongside the Pollen Initiative to support the impactful rehabilitative programs at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, while bringing greater awareness to prison reform within our community at large,” said Shana Daum, San Francisco Giants senior vice president of communications and community relations. “Through the power of baseball, the San Quentin Giants will be equipped with the tools and resources needed for future success.”
For decades, the Giants have worked closely with San Quentin Baseball on impactful prison reform efforts, and today’s announcement elevates the Giants contributions to a new level. As part of this new partnership, the Giants will provide uniforms and equipment as well as mental health and physical performance support to the team at SQRC.
Personnel from the Giants will also participate in discussions at the prison to help foster a constructive dialogue about prison reform and social justice issues confronted by those who are incarcerated. The program will serve as a foundation for future
collaborations as SQRC looks to expand its life-affirming, transformational opportunities for participants.
“I am grateful for the long-standing support, that the San Quentin baseball team, and administration has received from the San Francisco Giants organization. I’m especially excited about the reinvigorated collaboration moving forward,” says Ron Broomfield, director of CDCR’s Division of Adult Institutions. “Sports can create hope in a place associated with hopelessness and despair. It is one of the most powerful means of breaking down language, social and racial barriers. That along with the mental health aspect of this partnership makes it that much more powerful and impactful. I am confident that the San Quentin baseball team will continue to thrive, providing the incarcerated population with opportunities for recreation, personal growth, and rehabilitation.”
“We are proud to help facilitate this meaningful partnership that will mean more individuals can experience the positive and restorative benefits of sports through this transformational program,” said Branden Terrell, advisor at Pollen and lead coordinator for the partnership. “Support from the San Francisco Giants will help raise awareness for valuable restorative programming that makes communities safer, and
have a remarkable impact on those incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. We look forward to bringing more valuable programs like this to this prison, further reducing recidivism and improving our Bay Area community.”
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Pollen Initiative
We aim to turn the stigma of incarceration into a catalyst for growth, community impact and transformation. The Pollen Initiative – formerly known as the Friends of San Quentin News – is an organization dedicated to cultivating rehabilitative programs inside prisons across the U.S., with a special focus on media centers inside prisons and jails. Through hands-on journalism and audiovisual training, as well as leadership programs that facilitate personal growth and transferable skills, the projects led by incarcerated writers and media producers contribute to more balanced, grounded narratives both inside and outside. We support a collection of hand-picked existing prison newsrooms, like the historic San Quentin News, as well as emerging newsrooms, media projects and other rehabilitative programs.
San Francisco Giants
One of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, the 140-year-old franchise moved to San Francisco from New York in 1958. After playing a total of 42 years in Seals Stadium and Candlestick Park, the team moved to the privately constructed, downtown ballpark on the corner of 3rd and King in 2000. The organization is widely recognized for its innovative business practices and baseball excellence having been named in the past decade the Sports Organization of the Year by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, Organization of the Year by Baseball America and ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. Oracle Park is also the only ballpark in the country to have earned Silver, Gold and Platinum LEED certification for an existing building.
Since opening its gates, Oracle Park has become internationally-renowned as a premier venue in the world of both sports and entertainment. On the diamond, more than 67 million spectators have witnessed countless magical moments, including three World Series Championships (2010, 2012 & 2014), the raising of four National League Pennants and eight playoff appearances. The ballpark has also hosted some of music’s biggest acts, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé & Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, Green Day and Billy Joel.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
San Francisco Giants | Sophie Lair
FGS Global | Jeremy Pelofsky