Send This Story
Major League Commitment
Andruw Jones goes to bat against domestic violence.
by Allison Shirreffs
November 10, 2008
M
ajor League baseball player Andruw Jones considers his childhood in Curaçao, an island
nation in the Caribbean, a good one. His father, Henry, worked in a tissue-paper factory, and his
mom, Carmen, was a housewife. "We were never in a bad situation," he says. "I wish the whole world
could be like that."
Jones wishes the
whole world could be like that because over the last several years, he's seen the effect of a
number of "bad situations." Since 2004, the former Atlanta Brave and current Los Angeles Dodger
outfielder who continues to make Atlanta his home has been involved with Jaden's Ladder, a
nonprofit organization that assists survivors of domestic abuse.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women in the United States are
physically assaulted by an intimate partner every year. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, domestic violence is a serious public health problem that affects more than
32 million Americans, or slightly more than 10 percent of the U.S. population.
Often times, in an effort to escape an abusive situation, these women leave home with little
or no money and eventually, along with their children, end up in shelters. Unfortunately, many
shelters limit the amount of time these women can stay in their care-generally six weeks. At the
end of that time, if they have nowhere to go, the women often return to the abusive situation.
This is where Jaden's Ladder steps in. The organization provides survivors with necessary
support and couples it with life-enhancing, post-shelter programs aimed at boosting confidence and
fostering self-reliance.
But Jaden's Ladder requires a commitment on behalf of the women it helps. The women must
sign a contract obligating them to stay away from their abuser as long as they're accepting
assistance from the organization. There are "goal sheets" the women must complete weekly, monthly
and yearly. The women take professional courses, learn job skills and even enroll in college.
"We're trying to help the ones who want to help themselves," notes Nicole Jones, Andruw
Jones' wife and a Jaden's Ladder ambassador. "We're not just paying the bills. They're working
their butts off for two years, and we help them do it."
Jaden's Ladder was co-founded by Oneta Bobbett, a friend of Andruw Jones and herself a
domestic abuse survivor. Shortly after founding the organization with Jon Bobbett and Kristi
Bartlett, Bobbett approached Jones and asked if he would help the organization raise
money.
Given Jones' stature as a well-paid athlete (he's in the first year of a two-year, $36.2
million contract with the Dodgers), there's no shortage of charitable organizations soliciting him
for his time or money. Before associating himself with the organization, Jones and his wife did
their due diligence, even taking a trip to visit with Bobbett to the Jaden's Ladder office in New
Hampshire. "I liked what it was, and I trust Oneta," Jones says.
Jones says that when he first joined forces with Jaden's Ladder, he was "just the name." But
over time, he became more involved.
In baseball's off-season, he and Nicole attend organizational meetings and have met and
gotten to know several of the women and children who have been assisted by the organization. (Jones
also launched Druw's Children's Fund, an offshoot of Jaden's Ladder that helps kids involved in
domestic violence situations.)
The Joneses have watched as many of these women, through assistance from Jaden's Ladder,
became stronger and eventually "graduated" from the program armed with the skills necessary to
break the cycle of violence and become active members of society.
As part of the organization's fundraising efforts, Jones and his wife sponsor an annual
fundraiser in Atlanta. This year's event, The Fairway Affair, which took place the weekend of
Nov. 8-9 in Buckhead and included a Saturday evening gala as well as a golf tournament. Past
performers and celebrity guests have included singers Chaka Khan and Keith Sweat; Jones' Duluth
neighbor and professional golfer Stewart Cink; former Atlanta Hawk Kevin Willis; Atlanta Braves
players Chipper Jones, Tim Hudson, John Smoltz and Brian McCann; and former Brave (and current
Chicago Cub) Mark DeRosa.
"Times are tough, but it's all for the foundation, and the money will help a lot of people,"
Jones says. "Hopefully we can raise enough money to help all the families who need it."
