April 7, 2018
PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, — Louisa, Ky. native and former Lawrence Co. High star athlete Chandler Shepherd is wearing his red PawSox jersey. First pitch on this 2017 day isn’t for another 10 hours, so what exactly is the right-handed pitcher doing?
This particular version of the 25-year-old Shepherd isn’t unleashing mid 90s fastballs from his three-quarters arm slot. On this occasion, Shepherd is armed with a “give back to the community” spirit as he ventures into a tough Providence neighborhood.
Joined by a couple Pawtucket teammates and the Paw Sox mascot, Shepherd accompanies kids on their walk to Fogarty Elementary School in an effort to make sure they arrive safely and on time. Tardiness is a known chronic problem in this particular school district, an issue that’s addressed through the “Walking School Bus” program headed by Family Service of Rhode Island.
Shepherd is heading into his fourth season with the PawSox and the first as a member of Boston’s 40-man roster. He will get a shot as a starter this season after working primarily out of the bullpen with a couple of spot starts.
Now, he finds himself in a prime position to brighten someone’s day, at least for a short while.
In the PawSox clubhouse, there’s a bulletin board where manager Kevin Boles tacks up that day’s lineup. Usually, that same board will feature a notice about an upcoming community appearance and how the front office is looking for players to donate their time.
Without fail last season, Shepherd easily distinguished himself as one of the leaders in the PawSox clubhouse when it came to responding to the call sounded by Joe Bradlee, the team’s director of communications & community relations. Every time the PawSox went out in the community with the goal of contributing to a worthwhile endeavor, there was the 6-foot-1 pitcher who was selected in the 13th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
Besides participating in the “Walking School Bus” initiative, Shepherd in July traveled to Camp Hope in Burrillville and put on a one-hour clinic for young kids who had either been diagnosed with cancer or were at the camp in support of their siblings who were going through the battle.
In the same month and before a noontime game at McCoy Stadium, Shepherd was the subject of questions from aspiring sports writers from Pawtucket and Central Falls as part of the “Write on Sports” Camp. In August, Shepherd stopped by the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen to serve food to those in need. Later that same month, he went to Central Falls to help put on a clinic for aspiring young ballplayers.
The community appearance that yielded the most satisfaction for Shepherd was the two-plus hours he spent when he visited Hasbro Children’s Hospital in late August.
Shepherd did not receive the 2017 Sullivan Tire Community Spirit Award from the PawSox. That honor went to infielder Mike Miller after he spearheaded an effort to refurbish Fairlawn Little League’s Deluca Field during the All-Star break. Had a runner-up finisher been declared, there’s no question who would have been recognized – and deservedly so for the active role he played as an ambassador for the local Triple-A club when it came time to step outside the white lines.
Parts of this story from an article by Brandon McGair of the Pawtucket Times
Louisa native Chandler Shepherd
CHANDLER’S COMMENTS
“… Growing up in a close knit community like Louisa, I was fortunate to have neighbors who never blinked when asked to give the proverbial shirt off their back. Seeing plenty of olive branches distributed in the game of helping out your fellow man or woman made quite an impression.”
“…We’re representing the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox. Anything in the community we can do speaks a lot about our organizations. We’re so privileged to be able to play a kid’s game and get paid for it,” said Shepherd. “There’s a lot of people who aren’t as fortunate, but that’s when you consider yourself fortunate to be in a position where you can give a little bit back.”
“… I just don’t want to take playing baseball for granted. If I can reach out and help brighten someone’s day, that makes me feel better as a human being and comfortable playing this game for a living. I don’t see any reason why people shouldn’t help each other out. It speaks a lot about who you are when you take the time. I would love if someone came to brighten up my day, too. It works both ways.”
