MISSION 3:18 IMPACT STORY
Through Mission 3:18, Big League Impact brings professional baseball players together with nonprofit partners to serve neighbors in communities across the country.
In Cincinnati, that partnership includes City Gospel Mission, which supports people experiencing homelessness and those working toward addiction recovery. Its approach addresses physical, mental and spiritual well-being, helping participants rebuild their lives with steady support and encouragement. The organization shared this story about one man whose progress began with a deeply personal goal.
For Stan, a participant in City Gospel Mission’s recovery program, the goal was to get up from the floor on his own.
One night, he had fallen on a sidewalk. A hip issue left him unable to stand, so he tried crawling toward a nearby stop sign, hoping he could use it to pull himself upright. When that didn’t work, he lay there praying someone would come by and help.
Later, he told Coach Joe he never wanted to feel that helpless again.
Through a collaboration with Urban Outreach, City Gospel Mission has a full-time coach who develops workouts around participants’ abilities and goals. For Stan, that meant starting with small exercises to strengthen his core, improve his flexibility and mobility, and build muscle.
Day after day, Stan and Coach Joe worked together. After several months, Stan was ready to try the movement they had been working toward.
He lay down on the gym floor. Then he got himself back up to standing.
The gym erupted in cheers. Stan and Coach Joe both had tears in their eyes.
That moment reflected months of effort and the value of having someone alongside him who understood what he wanted to accomplish. City Gospel Mission sees those daily wins as an important part of recovery: confidence built in the gym can help participants recognize their capacity for progress in other parts of their lives.
Encouragement from the baseball community
During the 2026 season, players from the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers visited City Gospel Mission through Mission 3:18.
Dodgers players Alex Call and Tommy Edman served lunch to shelter guests and men and women in the recovery program, then visited the gym to talk about baseball, faith and family. The organization joked that, as Reds fans, rooting for the Dodgers could be difficult — but rooting for Alex and Tommy was easy.
The Phillies also spent time serving and connecting with men in the Transformational Recovery program. In sharing its thanks, City Gospel Mission emphasized the encouragement, conversations and hope those visits brought.
Recovery takes time. At City Gospel Mission, that work continues each day through individual goals, patient guidance and people who show up to help. For Stan, it led to a moment worth celebrating: standing on his own, with a gym full of people cheering him on.
Learn more about City Gospel Mission at citygospelmission.org.
Stan’s name has been changed to protect his privacy. Impact story provided by City Gospel Mission; adapted for length and clarity.
Through a Player’s Eyes
San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Walker visited City Gospel Mission earlier this season through Mission 3:18, joining his teammates in serving neighbors in Cincinnati.
In the video below, Ryan reflects on the visit and his experience connecting with the organization’s work.