Earlier today, the Jazz Chisholm Foundation unveiled a surprise for the students of Community School 55, a school that isn’t too far from where the Yankees play on 161st and River Ave.
Students cheered his name in excitement, but those cheers weren’t in the hopes of a big game-changing home run, instead it was in anticipation of a surprise he had been waiting to announce in the school’s auditorium.
Jazz Chisholm would reveal that they would be opening a new computer lab that afternoon, equipped with 25 laptops for students to utilize alongside pairs of Jordan shoes and a giveaway of a PlayStation 5.
His desire to aid the next generation in their acadamic pursuits can be traced back to his anecdotes about how ballplayers would visit and give back to the very communities Chisholm grew up in.
Molded by those experiences, the infielder is hoping to have a similar impact while encouraging athletes to step up and do the same.
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Growing up in the Bahamas, a young Jazz Chisholm would meet Gary Sheffield who was giving back to the next generation of big-league hopefuls.
Experiencing the impact that those charitable efforts had on his life, Chisholm has the perspective of being that starry-eyed kid meeting one of their heroes.
Now a 28-year-old with two All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger under his belt, the Yankees’ second baseman was at CS55, a school just minutes away from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to reveal a new surprise.
He’s visited the school three different times, and in this third-and-latest visit, Jazz Chisholm would reveal the opening of a new state-of-the-art computer lab.
That aforementioned experience of being a child who looked up to big leaguers and aspired to be just like them has shaped the way that jazz Chisholm views the role of an athlete in their community.
“I had a kid tell me this offseason that I’m his superhero…how can you not be moved by something like that and want to do better for your community? Especially when you know how hard it is to get where I’m at right now…I wish every athlete would be genuine in wanting to give back to their community.”
Jazz Chisholm received a Citation of Merit from the Bronx Borough President for his work through the Jazz Chisholm Foundation for Community School 55.
He threw some sweetners to make the day even more special for students, giving away a new pair of Nike Jordans to a select class that scored a near-perfect attendance for the first half of the school year.
Once the ribbon was cut and the lab was open, Chisholm spent time with the students to sign autographs and interact with the class knowing he was once in those very shoes that looked at athletes to as a hero figure in his life.
At the Yankees’ Little League Classic game against the Tigers in 2024, a bond formed between the star infielder and Nevada’s Russell McGee that remains strong even to this day.
One athlete who Jazz Chisholm showed praise to not just for his on-field abilities, but for his off-field community involvement was V.J. Edgecombe, a fellow Bahamian professional athlete.
A rookie sensation on the Philadelphia 76ers, Chisholm noted how he’s been giving back since he was in high school and expressed how proud he was of his emergence as a rising star.
Jazz Chisholm has not been shy about discussing the role that his mentors and adults played in his journey to the Major Leagues and current stardom, but in that is his fuel to give back to the next generation.