What's Happening in Dallas, TX…

The addition of Cole Hamels to the Rangers brought not only an ace player to delight Dallas fans, but also a philanthropist to the area as well.

Known for the donations made by the charitable foundation he set up while playing in Philadelphia, Californian pitcher Hamels is turning his giving nature to helping Texas residents. On May 10, the Hamels Foundation announced grants totaling $35,000 were being donated to support education in the Dallas area.

The grants have been earmarked for Adelfa Botello Callejo Elementary’s new Counseling Corner ($5,000), Winnetka Elementary new physical education supplies and equipment ($5,500) and in conjunction with the Texas Rangers, education classrooms at the brand-new MLB Youth Academy located on Mercy Street ($25,000).

Charitable giving benefits both the recipients and the promotional efforts of marketing services for organizations like baseball teams. Hamels’ generosity indirectly helps his new team through the attention it draws.

Hamels and his wife founded the non-profit 501(c)(3) Hamels Foundation with the twin purposes of creating a school in Malawi, Africa and supporting quality education in the US. The foundation, which was started in 2008, has given over $1m to Philadelphia schools in the last seven years. However, for the Hamelses, it isn’t just about money but heart as well. Last Christmas Eve, although they already had three children, they adopted an Ethiopia girl who had been abandoned at birth.