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“At Pirates Charities, we aim to use the power of Pirate baseball to strengthen our community," explains Jacque Skowvron, executive director of Pirates Charities and Community Engagement. "This work cannot be done without core community partners like The Children’s Institute who are able to help make us aware of critical needs, but also provide expert knowledge and practice across many different disciplines. Combining efforts and resources with these key community partners allows us to have a much bigger, more meaningful impact on those we collectively serve than if we attempted to serve these populations in need separately. Together, we can create a lasting impact through this strategic work.”

Pirates Charities’ has supported The Children's Institute for more than a decade, providing our organization with an overwhelming amount of both program support and in-kind donations for our families. This includes the innovative Pirates Charity gym used by our physical health team. Our expertise in physical therapy for children spans the breadth of orthopedic conditions and sports injuries - from sprains and strains to concussion care - to post-surgical recovery and rehabilitation for a wide range of conditions. The Pirates have also graciously hosted the graduating seniors from our approved private school at games celebrating these students’ incredible milestones.

Community partners play a vital role in all our programs, and Pirates Charities has been essential in creating opportunities for our organization to connect with others like the Miracle League, which in turn creates unique opportunities for our families.

“The Behavioral Health and Autism services provided by The Children’s Institute are particularly special to us," continues Jacque. "Pirates Charities does a lot of work to support families with autistic youth and young adults through our partnership with local Miracle League organizations. The services provided by The Children’s Institute allow for that community to have even more critically important recourses, provided by experts in their fields, available to them.”

Since 1902, caring for kids and families with unique abilities has been at the heart of our mission. Incredible partnerships with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pirates Charities have been vital to the organization’s 120-year success story. Because of commitments from organizations, we have been able to transform the lives of thousands of children with complex disabilities and their families in southwestern Pennsylvania.

“We’re honored and proud to partner with local organizations who are providing amazing services to our community," reflects Jacque. "The Children’s Institute is such an asset for families here in our region, helping families to alleviate countless burdens and be that positive support network that so many are in need of. Any time we can help provide smiles to those in need, we are excited to do so, and the Children’s Institute work aligns extremely well with one of our core areas of focus, which is improving the mental wellness of our region.”