On February 6, 2014, the Dodgers signed an unknown Justin Turner to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. Nearly five years to the date, the city of Los Angeles would declare January 22 as ‘Justin Turner Day’.
In a short five years, Turner has established himself as one of the faces of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Though he has provided many memorable and heroic moments on the field, the recognition was for what he has done off the field.
The Los Angeles city council gave Turner the honor due to his charity work and impact on the LA community. Alongside his wife Kourtney, Turner has kept himself busy within the community. He created the Justin Turner foundation, has worked multiple times at the Dream Center, and has made countless visits to hospitals. On top of that, him and his wife support homeless veterans as well as children batting life-threatening illnesses.
“I have the great fortune of doing something I love for a living,” Turner said. “For me, giving back to the community and being a part of it as much as I can is the least I can do.”
“So, although I don’t believe this is necessary, I do want to say thank you for recognizing us. I think it’s important especially for Kourtney to be recognized. I get a lot of the attention. I get a lot of the fame in all this, but honestly there would be none of this without Kourt. She’s the backbone of our foundation, of our marriage and everything that we do.”
After spending time posing for photos and signing autographs, as well as chatting with current Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, Turner continued his day by heading to Dodger Stadium.
Turner and the Dodgers hosted 50 members of the armed services for an enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony.
Turner spent time talking and thanking all 50 members, as well as taking some photos in between. Though he has yet to accomplish his number one goal, delivering a championship to LA, his presence and commitment to the city of Los Angeles has already enshrined him as one of the all-time Dodger greats.
Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News