Jed Lowrie embarked on a very special mission throughout his 2018 All-Star season: to bring baseball to Latin American communities in need. Through his Pledge It campaign, Lowrie teamed with 82 other pledgers to raise $26,572 for the benefit of these these young baseball players.

“I’m passionate about the work that Project Beîsból does to bring baseball and other educational opportunities to at-risk youth in Latin America,” Lowrie explained when asked the motivation behind his campaign.

“Pledge It provided a vehicle for my supporters to pledge alongside me through a fun, performance-based platform. The funds raised during our “Jed Lowrie Hits” campaign—we surpassed our $25,000 goal— will be used to help Project Beîsból purchase more equipment and strengthen their programs in Colombia and Nicaragua, as well as expand their operations to Puerto Rico and Brazil."

— Jed Lowrie

Lowrie also delivered a way for fans who pledged to earn a little swag if they gave—providing for some fun interaction with his supporters. He gave a signed baseball card to every fan who pledged, and also had a drawing for an autographed, game-used helmet. One lucky fan will even receive an exclusive in-game experience including a meet and greet and batting practice pass.

The mission also provided some unique experiences for Lowrie himself. There was a lot of social media interaction, and he even re-connected with some fans he had met on previous travels to Nicaragua. Lowrie had traveled there and in Columbia during previous offseasons to provide baseball instruction. Seeing how baseball can unite people, communities and countries through mutual love of the sport gave Lowrie an idea. His passion and lessons learned in his travels inspired “Jed Lowrie Hits for Project Beisbol”— and is a big part of the advice he would give to any other athletes considering a similar campaign.

“I’ve been involved with various philanthropic causes, but never before in a way that draws my fans into the experience. In that way, I think Pledge It has helped me more effectively leverage my platform to give back.”

“Be genuine; find something you care about so that people feel your connection to the cause,” he said. “Performing well on the field for this kind of a campaign helps too!” True to form, Lowrie in fact enjoyed the best season of his 11-year career. Not only did he hit a career-high in home runs, his 159 hits (the statistic he chose to drive the funds) were his second-most, and the big numbers earned him his first all-star berth.  

The unique connections Pledge It provided with fans and the baseball community has Lowrie considering another campaign in the future. "Absolutely; I have never done such an interactive fundraising campaign before; it was a lot of fun to see people get involved!"