3,000 Celebrate Jackie Robinson Day
- Vero Minute
- Apr 27
- 2 min read
On April 15, every player in Major League Baseball wears No. 42. Here in Vero Beach, nearly 3,000 people showed up to the ballpark where Robinson himself once played, continuing the United Way tradition that's been filling this ballpark since 2014.
The Palm Beach Cardinals, playing as the Frozen Iguanas under a special limited promotional identity celebrating their South Florida roots, defeated the Jupiter Hammerheads 4-2 at Holman Stadium. Every dollar raised goes back into Indian River County through United Way of Indian River County's partner programs, which serve roughly one in four local residents.
Before the first pitch, Indian River Charter High School student Adrianna Knopp sang the National Anthem and Peyton Cooper, Vero Beach High School student and Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County's 2026 Youth of the Year, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Dodgertown Elementary principal Felice Bagley was honored for her advancement as a finalist for Florida Principal of the Year.
Of course, the evening wouldn't be complete without a moment of silence for the late Freddie Woolfork. Known to the community as "Mr. GYAC," he spent decades creating opportunities for underserved youth in Indian River County, his life serving as a perfect reminder of what the Jackie Robinson Celebration Game is truly about.
