TAMPA, Fla. — The Baker and Emily Mayfield Foundation raised more than $310,000 at its fourth annual "Be the Ball" charity golf event Sunday, benefiting the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County.
The event, held at Topgolf before the start of the NFL season, supports early childhood education access for children in the Tampa Bay area regardless of their family's income. The foundation has now raised more than $650,000 across the event's four years.
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For Emily Mayfield, this year's event carried a personal significance tied to her own family's experience.
"This year hits different than the last couple of years. Not because we have a second kid, but because Kova started school," Emily said.
The Mayfields launched their foundation four years ago, after Baker signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Emily said watching her daughter's early development reinforced why the foundation's mission matters.
"She's been in school for two weeks and she's already coming home with new skills, new language. I think it shows us, if she didn't have that, if we threw her in school at five, how that gap could become a really big gap," Emily Mayfield said.
Baker echoed that message, pointing to research linking early education to long-term outcomes.
"When you're sending them off to school, the development aspect of it…It's unbelievable the difference it makes for kids to go to Voluntary Pre-School and the difference it has for graduation rates and high school. You don't think about it because they're that young; you want to make sure they're safe and happy, the developmental aspect of their brains, and to be able to put them in a position to have success later in life; it's vital at that age," Baker said.
The quarterback said the platform that comes with playing in the NFL carries a responsibility to give back.
"To take a step back and realize we were given a platform to be able to give back and make a difference in these communities. That's the most important part," Baker said.
Aakash Patel, board chair of the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, said the Mayfields' commitment stands out even among the NFL's highest-profile figures.
"I tell people all the time, there are 32 NFL quarterbacks, and to have one quarterback and his wife choose us as their non-profit to support, it's a big difference," Patel said.
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