On Tuesday in Westwood, Kenley Jansen and his wife Gianni, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kenley Jansen Foundation got together to make a difference. The Jansen’s donated the second and third “Kenley’s Lockers” to the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.
The mission is simple, help families with seriously and chronically ill children.
Here’s more on the lockers:
“Kenley’s Lockers” is the signature community outreach program of the Kenley Jansen Foundation.
The two lockers being unveiled on Tuesday will serve as sources of entertainment and distraction for thousands of patients and their families each year.
This is the second year that the Jansen’s have donated lockers to the Children’s Hospital. Earlier this season, Gianni and Kenley donated the first Kenley’s Locker, which proved to be a big hit.
In alignment with our Health + Wellness focus on providing resources for youth with health challenges that prevent them from participating in school, sport, and recreation, we have awarded the @kenleyjansenFDN with a $90,000 grant to support the state-of-the-art tech lockers.. pic.twitter.com/bziHl01xYb
— Dodgers Foundation (@DodgersFdn) November 19, 2019
As for how the Jansen family chose this as a means to giving back, they speak candidly about problems their son Kaden has suffered through.
The reality is that our kid got sick… We went to the hospital — spent some days at the hospital — and we remember that they didn’t have anything. No toys. And we remember coming back [to LA] and grabbing an iPad and toys and seeing how sick our son Kaden was… you could see how it distracted him… you could see the sparkle in his eyes … and just kinda wanted to do this for the kids.
If you’re wondering about the contents of the lockers, here’s more from the release:
In alignment with LADF’s Health + Wellness focus on providing resources for youth with health challenges that prevent them from participating in school, sport, and recreation, LADF has awarded the Kenley Jansen Foundation with a $90,000 grant to support the state-of-the-art tech lockers which feature Jansen-themed decals, Nintendo switches with games, and iPads. “Kenley’s Lockers” technology is incredibly valuable for keeping patients’ spirits high and providing both an education and entertainment outlet for kids and families through ongoing treatments.
At the event, Kenley was asked about baseball topics as well — including his thoughts on the Houston Astros allegations — but it’s always great to see the big man off the field, healthy, and giving back.
