How Ashlyn Burger Turned Personal Experience Into Advocacy
Updated: May 11
Rangers infielder Jake Burger and his wife, Ashlyn, started the Burger Family Foundation after their daughter, Penelope, was born with Down syndrome on October 25, 2024. The foundation’s mission is to provide direct financial assistance for therapy, equipment and other needs that families face, create community and inclusion for people with Down syndrome and their families, and support the development of Lucky Ranch, “a place where therapy meets wide open spaces.’’
In recognition of the Burgers’ efforts, the Players Trust has honored Jake as its Most Valuable Philanthropist for May. The Trust’s MVP award will be given six times this season to players who demonstrate an altruistic spirit and positive social impact beyond the diamond. Each winner receives a $10,000 grant from the Players Trust to his chosen charity.
As Ashlyn Burger told the MLBPA, the Burgers were following in the footsteps of 11-time All-Star and three-time Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols, who started the Pujols Family Foundation to support children and adults with Down syndrome in the U.S. and improve the lives of impoverished families in the Dominican Republic through education and outreach. The initiative was inspired by Pujols’ daughter, Bella, who has Down syndrome.
“I tell Jake all the time, ‘We get to walk through doors that people can’t even knock on,’’’ Ashlyn said. “ ‘So while you’re in this position, we need to stretch every resource we can to build relationships with the community.’ ’’
As the Burgers and other families celebrate Mother’s Day, what message does Ashlyn want to share about people with Down syndrome?
“They’re extremely capable individuals, and they deserve to be in every room that everybody else is in,’’ she said. “That disability is its special ability to see the world through a different lens, (with) a little bit more joy. They deserve to be there as well.’’
For more information on the Burger Family Foundation, click the link below:
