Atlanta Public Schools (APS) proudly unveiled the first four, brand-new turf infields in the first week of February at Benjamin E. Mays High School, Maynard Jackson High School, Booker T. Washington High School, and North Atlanta High School, thanks to the generosity of the Atlanta Braves Foundation and the Henry Louis Aaron Fund.
The Braves celebrate Hank Aaron Week during the week of the iconic baseball player’s birthday, which is February 5. Hank Aaron has the second-most home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB) history (755) and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.
Billye Aaron, Henry “Hank” Aaron’s wife, and her family visited Mays High School on Monday for the first ribbon-cutting ceremony, and she threw a ceremonial first pitch on the Raiders’ new Hank Aaron Diamond infield.
“This is the culmination of something that started more than five years ago, as we — the Atlanta Braves — sought out a way to honor and preserve the legacy of the legendary Hank Aaron,” said Danielle Bedasse, the Vice President of Community Affairs for the Atlanta Braves and Executive Director of The Atlanta Braves Foundation. “Mr. and Mrs. Aaron believed that talent is everywhere in this city, and opportunity should be too.”
The Braves, Major League Baseball, and the MLB Players Association established the Henry Louis Aaron Fund in 2021 after Hank’s passing, with an effort to really focus on equity and access for student athletes making pathways in baseball on the field and off helping them chase their dreams.
Through its partnership with APS and other sponsors, the Atlanta Braves Foundation plans to upgrade every baseball and softball field across the school district over the next 20 months.
“Thanks to the support of The Atlanta Braves Foundation, our players will now practice and compete on a surface that is safer,” APS Executive Athletic Director Greg Goodwin said. “This turf infield symbolizes more than improved playing conditions. It represents opportunity, pride, a shared belief that our students deserve the very best, and we believe that they do.”
