The White Sox recently held Sox Serve Week, a week-long community engagement and fundraising campaign benefiting Chicago White Sox Charities (CWSC) and connecting Sox fans with the Chicagoland community.
This year’s campaign invited the 2025 clubhouse and greats from the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, front office staff and fan volunteers to participate in various philanthropic events that gave back those most in need. The campaign included unique fundraising activities supporting non-profit organizations and social service agencies that share CWSC’s mission to make Chicago a better place to live, work and play beyond the diamond.
Read more about each Sox Serve Week initiative:
Monday, July 7 — Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC) Packing Event
White Sox front office staff and players Jordan Leasure, Ryan Noda and Grant Taylor assembled comfort kits for children and families supported by CCAC, a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the safety, health and well-being of abused children and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. CCAC is the recipient of one of five Diamond Impact Award grants. The $125,000 support will champion the center’s four certified child life specialists with several new spaces, including a “doggy dugout” for the 2,000+ children served by the center annually.
Tuesday, July 8 — Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Send-Off Event
Ahead of the Nike RBI Regional tournament, the White Sox held a special send-off celebration for both the CWSC-supported Amateur City Elite (ACE) and Team Teflon youth programs. The Sox invited these local baseball and softball players to take batting practice with big-league guidance from manager Will Venable, hitting coach Marcus Thames and players Miguel Vargas and Michael A. Taylor. Notably, these youth teams are a part of a program that has won eight overall RBI Championships, a showcase created by Major League Baseball to give young people from underserved communities the opportunity to play baseball and softball.
Wednesday, July 9 — Grant Day, presented by Peoples Gas
The White Sox recognized the 54 Chicagoland non-profit organizations receiving 2025 grant support through CWSC and the White Sox Community Fund, a McCormick Foundation (MF) Fund. Since last year’s celebration, CWSC made cumulative charitable donations of more than $3.6 million, moving the team’s non-profit arm to more than $50 million in cumulative funding. The organizations gathered for a special pregame ceremony, presented by Peoples Gas, with Hall of Famer Harold Baines, before enjoying the game from the ballpark’s Stadium Club.
Thursday, July 10 — Charities Day Telethon-Style Event
In partnership with the Chicago Sports Network, this year’s Charities Day telethon-style fundraising event invited fans to support White Sox Charities in exchange for memorabilia signed by some of the greatest hitters and pitchers in White Sox history as well as a limited-edition collectible featuring a team celebration photo from the 2005 World Series championship game. Hall of Famer Harold Baines, two-sport icon Bo Jackson and World Series MVP Jermaine Dye fielded incoming calls during the event.
- Due to the game postponement, Charities Day has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 29. To learn more about the telethon, visit whitesox.com/charitiesday.
Friday, July 11 — Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) Takeover
More than 240 White Sox Volunteer Corps members, ranging from White Sox front office staff, team personnel and youth baseball participants, served shoulder-to-shoulder at a meal packing event with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The group assisted with sorting produce, receiving deliveries and repackaging bulk dry goods to help feed Chicagoans in need. Founded in 1979, the Greater Chicago Food Depository partners with more than 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and community programs in its mission to end hunger across Chicago and Cook County.
Saturday, July 12 — Ultimate Wish
A capstone to the week, the White Sox fulflled a Dan Payne’s “ultimate wish” with an extraordinary ballpark experience. Diagnosed with ALS, Dan — along with his wife Lisa and three children — toured the Clubhouse with Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas, visited the batting cages and watched the ’05 Reunion Weekend ceremony from the field. The special day ended with a surprise as 40 family members and friends greeted the Paynes in a ballpark suite.
Sunday, July 13
Replica World Series Ring Sweepstakes — Sunday marked conclusion of Sox Serve Week, as well as the CWSC sweepstakes offering fans the chance to win an appraised replica of the team’s iconic 2005 World Series championship ring. Congratulations to Maggie L. on winning the 2005 Replica World Series Ring Sweepstakes and a special thank you to all who participated.
Sox Split Guaranteed Jackpot — In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the 2005 World Series Champion White Sox, Sox Serve Week also included a Sox Split guaranteed jackpot that started at $200,500 and exceeded $280,000. One lucky winner took home $140,398, with the remaining funds supporting CWSC.
WHITE SOX GIVE BACK WITH SOX SERVE WEEK was originally published in Inside the White Sox on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.