15th annual Home Run for Horton's Kids supporting families in southeast DC

WASHINGTON — Horton's Kids has been serving families in Southeast D.C. for decades. Wednesday night, they're again taking over Nationals Park to raise money for those efforts.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., families will get exclusive access to the ballpark and the range of activities set up for the community.

They include meeting the Nationals' mascot, Screech, racing President Teddy Roosevelt, participating in a pitch competition, as well as eating stadium food and learning more about Horton's Kids.

Horton’s Kids serves over 600 children and their families in the Wellington Park and Stanton Oaks neighborhoods in southeast D.C.

They say that teens in their program are twice as likely to graduate from high school, with 100% of their seniors graduating on time for the sixth year in a row last year.

In February, they opened a new hub to give their participants a bigger and better, safe space to hang out when they’re not in school. It offers spaces dedicated to mental health resources and a state-of-the-art media lab.

“I think it's important to have spaces where kids in particular can kind of convene and call their home, in their own in the out of school time hours," Executive Director, Erica Ahdoot said. "And you know, that opens up all sorts of pathways for learning and connection and all of that. So it's critical.”

WUSA9's Sports Director Darren Haynes will be emceeing the events.