Maldonado giving back to his hometown

Maldonado and his wife, Janelise, distributed toys to more than 250 kids on Sunday.

Update: You can check out my story and a photo gallery from this event here.

I wanted to pass along some great news I heard about Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado, who is proving that one does not have to be a grizzled Major League veteran to give back to the community.

The 26-year-old is planning to host a carnival for children on Sunday — Three Kings Day — in his hometown of Naguabo, Puerto Rico. Maldonado came up with the idea himself and pitched it to his agents at Praver Shapiro Sports Management and to the Brewers Community Foundation, who helped the player organize an event in a park, complete with games, gifts and clothing for the kids. I’m told that Three Kings Day, or Epiphany, is a big deal in Puerto Rico, bigger for some than Christmas itself.

Word is that Maldonado has done much of the organizational work, with financial help from other organizations including the MLB Players Trust and corporate interests like Burger King and Andis, a Wisconsin company that is one of the nation’s oldest producers of hair clippers. They got to know Maldonado after we wrote in Spring Training about his role as the Brewers’ resident barber.

Kudos to all parties involved for putting together what sounds like a great event. I’m hoping to receive some photos next week to post in this space.

*

Follow me on Twitter @AdamMcCalvy