UCHealth to donate $5,000 to Freedom Service Dogs each time Rockies score a ‘Hit the Mitt’ home run
Aurora, Colo. (April 2, 2025) – When the Colorado Rockies step up to bat at Coors Field later this week, a home run could mean more than points on the scoreboard. Each ball that makes contact with the “Hit the Mitt” banner or lands in the left-field tunnel will help support people challenged by disabilities.
For each Hit the Mitt home run, UCHealth will donate $5,000 to Freedom Service Dogs, a Colorado-based nonprofit which breeds, raises, trains and places service dogs to help individuals live their lives to the fullest.
"We believe dogs make a life-changing difference for people with disabilities," said Chris Nelson, president and CEO of Freedom Service Dogs. "In some cases, they make a life-saving difference, especially for our nation’s veterans with visible and invisible disabilities, such as PTSD. We also provide service dogs for young adults with autism and individuals with physical disabilities.”
36 Freedom Service Dogs were provided free of charge to recipients in 2024, and Freedom Service Dogs hopes to exceed that number this year. Each dog receives up to 18 months of training and costs more than $50,000 to raise and train from the time they’re born until they graduate as service dogs.
“This is why we’re so grateful to UCHealth for selecting Freedom Service Dogs as the beneficiary of Hit the Mitt. Every donation—no matter how big or small—helps us continue to provide these highly skilled service dogs free of charge. We’re rooting for the Rockies and hoping for lots of mitt hitting!" said Nelson.
The health system selects a new beneficiary for the home run “Hit the Mitt” challenge each year, choosing organizations that help Coloradans in need. Last season, Rockies players hit the mitt five times, raising $25,000 for Next Chapter.
“We’re excited to partner with an organization doing so much to improve the lives of people with disabilities,” said Manny Rodriguez, chief marketing, experience & customer officer for UCHealth. “Hit the Mitt is one of many ways UCHealth partners with Colorado Rockies to help people in with our communities, and we’re excited to see how many times the players can score a donation to Freedom Service Dogs.”
This is the eighth season for the “Hit the Mitt” program. Previous recipients include Next Chapter, Food for Thought Denver, the American Cancer Society and Feeding Colorado.
About UCHealth
UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. UCHealth includes 35,000 employees, 14 acute-care hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. Offering more than 200 clinic locations, UCHealth provides extensive community benefits and pushes the boundaries of medicine through advanced treatments and clinical trials, improving health through innovation.
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