Our Story

In 2011, former Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Kerry Wood and his wife, Sarah, founded the Wood Family Foundation (WFF) with the vision of adding value to the lives of Chicago’s children. Starting with coats and toy drives, holiday wish programs, to running baseball clinics in Englewood, they finally were able to refine their true mission. In 2014, WFF turned its efforts towards creating Pitch In, an after-school middle school mentoring program. The organization put down roots in North Lawndale at Lawndale Community Academy and have refused to look back, spreading further into North Lawndale and expanding into Humboldt Park. Current CPS dropout statistics point to the pivotal years of middle school, the most underserved population in Chicago. WFF has found the best, most impactful ways to make a difference in this space…middle school matters!

In 2022, WFF officially changed its name to Pitch In. With the same mission and vision, this decision was made to further increase Pitch In’s footprint across Chicago. Kerry and Sarah could not be prouder of the impact that Pitch In has made on students, families, and school partners. The work that WFF and the Wood Family has done will be their lasting legacy, for the city that they love.

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