Dodger players flocked to Dodger Stadium on Thursday night swapping out their uniforms for more formal attire to support the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation at the sixth annual Blue Diamond Gala.

The event, hosted by LADF and presented by LADF chairman Mark Walter and the Dodgers ownership group, featured an exclusive concert from Jennifer Lopez and raised a record-breaking $3.6 million to support LADF in its mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice in Los Angeles.

The gala took on special meaning this year after the pandemic prevented the star-studded event from taking place the previous two years.

“It means a tremendous deal for us to be back here,” said LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman. “The last gala was in June 2019, and we had big plans for 2020. Tonight is a celebration of so many different peoples’ collective work.”

Dodger players, coaches, alumni, broadcasters as well as celebrities walked the blue carpet to start the evening. Many of the players and coaches brought their wives or significant others to the event and enjoyed the opportunity to have a night out with both their teammates and loved ones for a good cause in the midst of a jam-packed baseball season.

“It’s important to recognize our community and our fans and everything that’s going on around this great stadium,” said Justin Turner. “There’s so much need and so many people who are impacted by the Dodgers’ Foundation. We couldn’t be happier to be here to support them and all their initiatives, which by the way are amazing. It’s such a wide-reaching program from reading to glasses to baseball fields to inner city, it’s just really incredible everything they’re doing.”

The night began with a pre-show party featuring a set by DJ D-Nice and an “Everyday Champions” program hosted by emcees Mario Lopez and Adrián González.

“Tonight we are celebrating our ‘Everyday Champions,’ those we consider our heroes in Los Angeles — those individuals on the ground who didn’t go home when the pandemic hit, who didn’t have an opportunity to take time off or get out of town and really showed up in their communities and made sure that people were fed, that kids continued to receive academic services, that food was distributed and children continued to receive some sort of safe haven in some form or fashion,” Whiteman explained.

The sold-out gala, deemed “The Party for LA,” included a live auction for 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers championship rings. Fans can still enter an online sweepstakes to win a “2022 All-Star Week Mega Package” at Dodgers.com/Win or participate in an online auction featuring player memorabilia, experiences and more at Dodgers.com/Auctions through June 30.

The night ended after Jennifer Lopez’s show with food from In-N-Out, California Pizza Kitchen, Dunkin’, Melissa’s Produce and Milk Bar. All proceeds benefited LADF and the organization’s community programs and initiatives.

“They just do so much for the community, year in and year out, even during the offseason,” said Cody Bellinger. “This is one of the best events they do. It’s always been so fun, and it’s nice to enjoy yourself with the team when there’s not a game being played.”

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