Randy Jones was very proud of being the Padres’ first 20-game winner and Cy Young Award winner, but he was more mindful about leaving a legacy of helping others.
Jones, who died in November at age 75, was remembered as much for his contributions in the community as his pitching in January during a memorial service at Petco Park.
“Randy’s greatest pride came after baseball, giving back,” Curt Gandy, chairman on the Randy Jones Foundation, said at the memorial. “He did this through his foundation, supporting hundreds of nonprofits, the military and, especially, the kids.”
The Randy Jones Foundation this week launched the 35-35 Endowment Legacy Campaign, which is intended to provide long-term funding for charitable endeavors that support children from military families. The goal is to create a permanent $1 million endowment. The campaign plays off Jones’ No. 35 jersey number, one of six retired numbers by the Padres.
The campaign seeks 35 founding donors each contributing $35,000, as well as community donations in the amounts of $3,500, $350 or $35. Contributions will go into a permanent endowment managed by the San Diego Foundation, which oversees more than $1.4 billion in charitable assets.
“Randy understood that what matters most in life isn’t the trophies we win or the records we set … it’s the lives we touched along the way,” Matt Schwartz, founding director of the Randy Jones Foundation, said at the memorial. “Among all the causes that Randy championed, there was one that held a special place in his heart. He cared deeply about kids from military families.
“These are young people whose parents sacrificed everything for our country. They move from base to base, from school to school, sometimes not staying long enough to get noticed by coaches and scouts who could change their futures.
“They have talent, they work hard and they have dreams of playing sports at the highest levels, but they don’t have the financial means to play club ball, pay for equipment or get the expert coaching or exposure they deserve.”
Schwartz said Jones saw himself in some of those young kids.
“He knew what it meant to need someone to believe in you,” Schwartz said, “and he made it his mission to be that someone for them.”
Among the programs the endowment will serve are youth travel ball grants focused on military children, Padres VIP game day experiences by military members and their families and deep-sea fishing trips for military families.
“Randy made it clear before he passed that his work must continue,” Schwartz said. “He told us his legacy would not be measured in wins and losses but in the young lives lifted up by his foundation. … This initiative will include lasting, permanent support for these deserving young athletes and military families. Not just this year but year after year, generation after generation.
“Randy gave so much to this city, to the Padres and this community. Now it’s our turn to give back to him by donating to this foundation so we can continue to serve the community he loved.”
Those interested in contributing can make donations at randyjonesfoundation.com. For information, Gandy can be reached at cgandy@rjf35.com or (858) 232-0030.