Mauricio Dubón wears No. 1 on the again of his Giants jersey, a nod to his inconceivable journey to the Majors. When the 26-year-old infielder/outfielder debuted with the Brewers final yr, he turned the primary participant who was born and raised in Honduras to play within the huge leagues.
Dubón
Mauricio Dubón wears No. 1 on the again of his Giants jersey, a nod to his inconceivable journey to the Majors. When the 26-year-old infielder/outfielder debuted with the Brewers final yr, he turned the primary participant who was born and raised in Honduras to play within the huge leagues.
Dubón moved to the US at 15 as a foreign-exchange pupil to pursue his dream of turning into knowledgeable baseball participant, however he stays firmly rooted in Honduras. He returns to his native nation every offseason to go to family and friends and provides again to his neighborhood, a mission he felt much more acutely after two hurricanes — Eta and Iota — devastated Honduras inside weeks of one another this month.
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Dubón flew into his hometown of San Pedro Sula the day earlier than Hurricane Eta made landfall on Nov. 3 and witnessed the torrent of rain the Class 4 storm inflicted in Honduras, a Central American nation with a inhabitants of greater than 9 million people who was already going through excessive ranges of poverty and inequality. The harm attributable to the pure disasters, coupled with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, created a humanitarian disaster, prompting Dubón to step in and assist these in want.
“We knew it was going to be unhealthy,” Dubón stated in a cellphone interview. “We noticed no one was serving to out right here, after which we simply determined that we would have liked to do one thing. Honduran individuals have a saying over right here: El pueblo salva al pueblo, that means the individuals save the individuals. The authorities are usually not doing something, and it has been actually unhealthy, so we determined to only take it upon ourselves.”
Thanks, something helps 🙏🏽https://t.co/K9xKyIoXFN
— Mauricio Dubon (@Mauriciodubon10) November 19, 2020
Dubón organized a GoFundMe campaign to boost cash to assist hurricane victims in Honduras and is utilizing the funds to buy primary provides like non-perishable meals, bottled water, private hygiene merchandise, garments and face masks. He and his spouse, Nancy, whom he married on Saturday, go on provide runs to native supermarkets and personally ship the help to shelters and neighborhoods that have been hit onerous by the storms.
Dubón stated he’s additionally hoping to purchase mattresses, beds and fridges for households who misplaced their properties within the ensuing floods. He has raised greater than $19,000 thus far, with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, supervisor Gabe Kapler and different Giants teammates contributing donations.
Honduras is being crushed by a significant storm. Mauricio is attempting to unfold the phrase utilizing his platform. He let me know that his household has been out in boats attempting to assist individuals trapped on the roofs of their properties. Please get out the message in case you can. https://t.co/mJh7uxoL2O
— gabe kapler (@gabekapler) November 5, 2020
Dubón isn’t looking for publicity for his efforts, however his newfound fame has made anonymity tougher to return by.
“I hate taking footage once I try this,” Dubón stated. “It is humorous, as a result of once I was doing that and out shopping for, I used to be attempting to go like incognito after which anyone acknowledged me as a result of I’ve a tattoo on the leg. Any person acknowledged me and took an image of me. Sort of like TMZ, however in Honduras. It went viral right here, after which individuals began realizing I used to be serving to out. Folks received the phrase round and all people began attempting to assist out.”
.@Mauriciodubon10 está realizando una campaña humanitaria para su país natal que ha sido afectado por los huracanes en Centroamérica.
Para apoyar y aprender más visite su campaña por GoFundMe: https://t.co/ZYRSVXnatw#SFGigantes pic.twitter.com/tYWoSbHXMD— SF Gigantes (@SFGigantes) November 20, 2020
Philanthropy is nothing new for Dubón, who has additionally participated in a charity softball match in San Pedro Sula that raises consciousness and funds for pediatric most cancers. Final winter, the occasion raised $15,000, up from $200 in its inaugural yr.
The match received’t be held this yr because of the pandemic, however Dubón stays dedicated to utilizing his platform to present again to his homeland and assist promote the game he loves. He has emerged as an envoy for baseball in Honduras, which is best identified for producing soccer gamers than ballplayers, and recurrently donates gear to make the game extra accessible for youths.
Dubón hopes his rising profile won’t solely encourage different children to play baseball but additionally assist develop the required infrastructure to assist a brand new wave of Honduran expertise throughout the recreation.
“It’s essential, as a result of we didn’t have anyone from right here,” Dubón stated. “So for me, being that individual and being the mannequin is basically enormous since you don’t wish to be the one one. You need extra individuals to return from right here and have the identical success I am having proper now. For me to show them that I got here from the identical place these guys are coming from, it’s actually particular. I simply wish to transmit that optimistic power and inform them, ‘Hey, if I can do it, you guys can do it, too.’”
#GivingTuesday returns
The Giants Neighborhood Fund, Warriors Basis, A’s Neighborhood Fund, Sharks Basis, Quakes Basis and 49ers Basis are coming collectively for a particular #BayAreaUnite model of #GivingTuesday. The funds from this donation marketing campaign will assist every staff’s basis and their efforts in serving youth within the native communities.
Donations made to the Giants Neighborhood Fund will assist assist the Junior Giants, a free, non-competitive and coed baseball and softball program for native youth ages 5-18. #GivingTuesday runs Dec. 1-4, with extra info coming about the best way to take part.
Maria Guardado covers the Giants for MLB.com. She beforehand lined the Angels from 2017-18. Observe her on Twitter.
