David Americo Ortiz is a professional baseball player. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins
in 1997 as a first baseman and was with the team through 2002. In 2003, he signed with the
Boston Red Sox and was with the team until he retired in 2016. He is the 2013 World Series
MVP and a 3 time World Series Champion (2004, 2007, and 2013).
In February 2005, David Ortiz went to CEDIMAT Hospital, in his home country of the Dominican
Republic to visit children who had recently received heart care operations. As David walked
through the Intensive Care Unit, he met many young patients in need of heart surgery. One
reminded him of his own son, who he had just played ball with that morning. David was
moved, and felt strongly that these children should have all been outside playing ball in the
fields, not fighting heart health problems. David was truly amazed by the resilience of the
children and their parents, and made a promise that he would help them.
He founded the David Ortiz Children’s Fund (DOCF) to provide essential support for children in
the Dominican Republic and in New England who cannot afford the critical pediatric services
they need. DOCF partners with CEDIMAT Hospital in Santo Domingo and the Massachusetts
General Hospital for Children to fulfill this mission. Through outreach, education, and support
for medical care, they committed to enhancing the health and well-being of children who
require life-saving heart surgeries.
To date, they have helped save 678 children in the Dominican Republic and
provided support to over 1,000 children in the New England area.