Reaching out to inner city youth...
For the nine years in a row, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox has lead a crowd of 700 excited 5th and 6th grade Diamondbacks fans into Chase Field to see the D’Backs in action. The children live in the shadow of Chase Field,
yet cannot afford to attend games. Wilcox calls it the Inner City D-Back Jam.

The children have come to look forward to entering fifth grade when they are eligible to attend the D-Backs Jam. They must earn their tickets by donating five hours of community service. “These kids give three thousand hours to our community,” says Supervisor Wilcox. “In addition to earning tickets, they’re learning about giving back.”

The kids all gather at Grant Park, 3rd Avenue and Grant Street, and after a “cheer the loudest” contest among the schools, the winning school leads all 700 kids on the march to Chase Field where they get to run the bases. Before the game begins, some students receive special awards for outstanding community service at home plate.