Honoring frontline workers leading coronavirus response
Each weekend during the season at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Orioles honor a Birdland Community Hero for going above and beyond to help others.
With the ballpark now empty due to the coronavirus pandemic, they’re taking that program online — and the first set of virtual honorees are enough to fill every seat in the stadium.
The team announced Friday that the first set of Virtual Birdland Heroes was anyone on the front lines as the world deals with COVID-19, from doctors and medical workers to grocery store clerks, postal workers
and other essential workers who are keeping the community going in the crisis.
“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of our community members on the front lines of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic,” senior vice president for community development and communications Jennifer Grondahl said in a statement. Now more than ever, it is important that we join together to honor the heroic efforts and sacrifices of these Birdland Community Heroes, who are working tirelessly to keep us safe and healthy in this time of crisis. We can all honor these heroes by continuing to follow the guidelines established by health officials and our elected leaders.”
As part of the announcement, the Orioles Charitable Foundation will donate $5,000 to the Maryland Food Bank on the Orioles’ behalf.
“On behalf of our organization, I wanted to send our sincerest thanks to all of the individuals working on our community’s behalf during the COVID-19 pandemic,” first baseman Chris Davis said in a video message. “We honor you.”
The donation is part of an ongoing effort by the team to reach out to those most affected by the pandemic. Governor Larry Hogan tweeted out a video from Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias commending the response work and urging those who can to stay safe and stay home.
“If we all approach this like we’re part of a team and we all do our part and play our positions, we’ll be able to get through this,” Elias said in the video.