Former Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun was forced to evacuate his home in California for the past six weeks due to the Los Angeles wildfires. Braun, 41, spoke about his appreciation for firefighters and first responders, stating, “Firefighters and first responders are truly heroes. I don’t think that we get an opportunity to thank them often enough. But those guys have put their lives on the line. They’ve worked night and day.”
Braun, along with World Series champion Mike Moustakas, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, Brewers star Christian Yelich, and Mike Attanasio from the Brewers’ ownership, created California Strong, a program dedicated to providing support to communities affected by disasters. Yelich noted, “The community seems to step up every time there’s people in need. It’s a long recovery process. You know, it’s not something that takes a day, a week, even a year.”
Moustakas stated that California Strong originated from the group’s desire to use their platforms for good, working with the YMCA to support those in need. Braun emphasized the importance of providing support to those affected, saying, “The goal of California Strong was to support people after natural disasters and tragedies. That’s what we’ve tried to do over the last seven years. That’s what today is all about. And the goal is to be able to support people both in the near term, immediately today and then longer term as they go through what ends up being a very long and challenging process to rebuild their lives.”
California Strong is working with Proactive Sports to help get Californians back on their feet. Proactive Sports owner Emily Capretta explained that the company has been partnered with California Strong since its inception, hosting events to support those affected by the Woolsey Fire and the Borderline shooting in 2018.