Cubs honor Chicago-area community leader, show commitment to charity
Having grown up on the southside of Chicago, Jorge Roque grew up a White Sox fan. When the Chicago Cubs called about honoring him ahead of Roberto Clemente Day, though, it was all love.
Roque, 43, is the director of the Urban Life Skills program for New Life Centers of Chicagoland. It’s a position he’s held for the last three years, though he has been with the organization for a total of six.
On Sept. 18, he was honored at Wrigley Field for his dedication to the betterment of the Chicago community and its youth.
“It’s an honor,” Roque said. “It’s an honor to be seen with Roberto Clemente, what he did, what he stood for, what he did [with] being involved.”
His family was also excited, especially those who were also Cubs fans.
Before the Cubs took on the Reds in the finale of a three-game set, Roque was brought onto the field where he was met by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, who presented him with a custom jersey.
Roque can’t tell you what was said about him or what played on the video board, but he can tell you how he felt.
The last 10 months have been particularly hard for Roque and his family. Nearly a year ago, Roque lost his younger brother to gang violence. In February, his pastor and father figure passed away. In July his brother-in-law died as well.
“I knew all three of them were with me,” Roque said. “I was kind of emotional on the field. It was good because I felt their spirit with me there. They were proud of us.”
For Roque and his family, Wednesday served as a day of healing. He says he saw real, true, and genuine happiness from his family. As he smiled and posed with Ricketts with many in attendance applauding, Roque says he simply took in the moment.
“I felt this calmness and peace over me,” Roque said. “I knew that my faith and creator brought me to this moment. I looked up and thanked him because he brought me there.”
Giving back to the community
As Urban Life Skills director, Roque helps mentor at-risk youth as part of a larger gang intervention program in the Little Village community. Youth are mentored in both group and 1-on-1 settings with the goal to prepare them to help make an impact on their community and the world.
He and his team act as positive role models in their mentees’ lives, helping exemplify healthy relationships along with providing support services for employment, including mock interviews and resume assistance among many other resources.
It’s a lot of hands-on work. Roque will be the first to tell you that what he does isn’t a job.
“To me, it’s more of a calling,” Roque said. “Es el llamado que Dio me dio. Mi mission de la vida.” It’s God’s calling, his life mission.
Still, his vocation is not without pain. Roque says that they have buried some young people and that his role is not without its difficulties.
“This work comes with a lot of pain, but also comes with a lot of joy and happiness,” Roque said. He cites seeing his mentees graduate, go to college and/or find work as examples of the joys that his calling can bring.
He estimates that over 100 immediate members of his family, including his wife, children and parents attended Wednesday’s celebration along with colleagues and friends of the program.
And while the jersey emblazoned with his last name and the year will forever hang in his home and sometimes on his back, the honor extends far beyond the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
“This is for the work that many before us did in Chicago and the ones that will do after us,” Roque said. “Any type of exposure is a big win. …To get recognition any time, we are all winning together. It’s the work we’re doing, it’s for all of us.”
The recognition helps keep the fire to help others inside him burning.
“That fire is contagious,” he added. “I get to mentor new mentors and other mentors in the city that call me for advice. That fire keeps burning. It goes from [the] west coast to [the] east coast.”
Clemente honored around the league
In addition to honoring Roque, the Cubs also recognized Jon Lester as their 2019 Roberto Clemente Award nominee. Lester, a cancer survivor, helps raise awareness and funding for children’s cancer research through his NVRQT Campaign.
It is his second consecutive year being nominated for the annual year-end award presented during the World Series.
Additionally, per MLB, Cubs Charities, in conjunction with Javier Báez, made a $100,000 charitable donation to help restore baseball field in Báez’s native Puerto Rico as part of the Play Ball Again initiative.
Elsewhere across the league, individual clubs honored their respective Roberto Clemente award nominees to go along with expanded celebrations to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month.
The result is a dedication by the league and its players to keep the philanthropic spirit of Clemente alive several decades after his passing.
“It means I get to push his (Clemente’s) legacy,” Roque said. “His legacy does not die. His legacy continues through us…Que no se va acabar. It’s going to continue for decades. Maybe even centuries. His memory will be kept alive.”
Photos provided by Alma Ibarra Roque, Benjamin Estrada, Matt DeMateo and Emmanuel Serrano.