Jaime Jarrin keeps wife’s legacy of generosity through scholarships

Helping unite communities to empower young Latinos’ educational dreams, the Jaime and Blanca Jarrin Foundation will host their Wine Night at the Ravine gala this August. The Foundation will also award seven college scholarships.

Legendary Dodgers Spanish language broadcaster Jaime Jarrin’s wife Blanca died unexpectedly in 2019. Soon after, their two sons, Jorge and Mauricio, decided to carry on Blanca’s legacy of generosity by starting the Jaime and Blanca Jarrin Foundation.

“She was very generous,” Jaime Jarrin said of Blanca. “She helped me a lot.”

Jarrin, the Spanish of the Dodgers from 1959 through the 2022 season, is adamant that Blanca “deserves all the credit in the world” for his success. Jaime Jarrin received numerous honors throughout his career, including the 1998 Ford Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“She was behind me all the time,” Jarrin says of his late wife. “She didn’t care much about baseball, but she never complained about my absenteeism. Never complained about my traveling.”

The Foundation was established in Blanca’s honor to help the future of college students through scholarships and mentorship. The scholarships are geared toward college students pursuing a career as a journalist or an attorney.

Helping aspiring attorneys

A small percentage of attorneys in California are of Latino descent demonstrating the need to help aspiring attorneys.

“It doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t reflect our community,” said Jorge Jarrin, the foundation’s president and a Dodgers broadcaster. “We need to help those who wish to follow in that area to have more attorneys. Whether you practice law or not, going to law school teaches you reasoning, how to size things up, helps you in the decision-making process and how it’s affected by law, so it is very important.”

Jaime Jarrin was a broadcaster for the Dodgers for 64 years. The Hall of Famer retired at the end of the 2022 season. Jaime’s time with the Dodgers marks the second longest tenure at one team for a baseball broadcaster.

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Son of Jaime Jarrin, Jorge followed in his fathers footsteps as a sports broadcaster. The duo worked together as Spanish language broadcasters for the Dodgers. 

Considering Jaime and Jorge’s background in journalism, the foundation wanted to provide financial assistance to aspiring journalists. The Foundation has given more than $225,000 in scholarships to both undergraduate and postgraduate students since 2019.

“So many great students don’t have the means to continue very high in education,” Jaime Jarrin said. “We are trying our best and we are very pleased with that.”

This year the Jaime and Blanca Jarrin Foundation will award seven scholarships in partnership with Los Defensores, a law firm in the Los Angeles area. Five undergraduates studying journalism or communication will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Two law school students will receive a $12,500 scholarship. Recipients will be announced the week of Aug. 4.

The Jaime and Blanca Jarrin Foundation will host the Wine Night at the Ravine gala alongside Los Defensores and Rotolo Chevrolet. The gala will be held at the Dodger Stadium Centerfield Plaza on Aug. 19.

The event will feature food and wine, allowing supporters, students, and advocates to unite to celebrate the foundation’s mission of empowering young Latinos through education. All funds raised from the event will be used to support scholarships and mentoring programs.

Nomar Garciaparra to be honored

Former MLB All-Star Nomar Garciaparra and legendary Dodgers photographer Jon SooHoo will be recognized as the 2025 honorees of Driven to Success by Rotolo Chevrolet.

Garciaparra is a former MLB All-Star and a current Los Angeles Dodgers analyst. Over Garciaparra’s 14 seasons he earned numerous honors and is a member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame. SooHoo is the Dodgers’ official photographer.

Both Jaime and Jorge Jarrin have seen firsthand the impact their foundation has had on the community. The scholarships have helped students with the financial burden of college, allowing them to continue their education.

“When someone tells me that ‘you saw me, you recognized me, and you invested in me I’m not going to let you down. I’m going to do the best that I can,’ I trust them,” Jorge Jarrin said. “I see them. I see their hope. I see what they want to do. And I’m just honored to be a part of that journey and to help contribute to that.”