Brown Gives $1 Million to Youth Program

Kevin Brown shared his good fortune with the youth of Southern California on Monday, announcing a $1-million donation to the Reviving Baseball in the Innercities (RBI) program.

The program, founded in 1989 by major league scout John Young, aims to revive baseball in places like Los Angeles, where urban playgrounds that once spawned the likes of Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith, Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry too often sit vacant, diamonds lost to disrepair and top athletes lost to football and basketball.

The program emphasizes academics as well. The “Kevin Brown RBI Academy of Excellence” will allow RBI officials to dramatically expand their lessons on and off the field, from classroom tutoring and baseball coaching to college tours and anti-drug and anti-gang education.

“Baseball is great,” Brown said, “but, in this world, it all boils down to education.”

Brown, a chemical engineering major at Georgia Tech, signed a seven-year, $105-million contract with the Dodgers last month.

The RBI program has expanded nationally, but Young said Brown’s donation will be used locally, allowing a program that served 30 children a year to grow to 700 over the next six years.

“We’re trying to make sure that not only are we developing good baseball players but that we’re developing solid citizens as well,” Young said. “I really appreciate Kevin making this dream come true.”