A new baseball season is finally getting underway—bringing with it our enduring optimism. Baseball has helped see us through wars, depressions, and pandemics. It’s seen Jackie Robinson break down the color barrier 75 years ago this April, and players like Juan Marichal and Roberto Clemente open the doors of possibility to generations of young people across Latin America. It is more than a game; it’s a part of who we are.
There’s no better person to help celebrate the upcoming season than David Ortiz, a once in a generation star who embodies the best of baseball both on and off the field. David is a 10-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox, seven-time Silver Slugger, soon-to-be baseball Hall of Famer, and a hero to fans young and old, from New England to the Dominican Republic where he grew up.
In this episode, David shares stories about how his parents’ love and guidance helped give him the dedication and discipline to succeed; some of the most memorable moments of his career, including breaking “The Curse of the Bambino” in 2004 and rallying the local community and the country after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; and his commitment to giving back and making a difference in kids’ lives through the David Ortiz Children’s Fund.
For as long as I can remember, the start of spring has been heralded by baseball players reporting to training camp with a new season getting underway. Bringing with it are enduring optimism for our favorite teams and the summer to come. Baseball has sent us through wars, depressions, and pandemics. It's seen Jackie Robinson break the color barrier seventy five years ago. This eightful and players like je Marshall and Roberto Clemente opened doors of possibilities to new generations of players from across Latin America. Over All these decades, baseball has always been more than a game. It's become part of who we are. So why am I telling you this? Because after a long, dark off season and a lockout that put the schedule in jeopardy, baseball is back and there's no better person to help us celebrate than our guests today, A once in a generation player who embodies the best of baseball both on and off the field. He's a ten time All Star, three time World Series champions, seven time Silver Slugger, soon to be Baseball Hall of Famer, and a hero to fans young and old from New England to the Dominican Republic David Ortiz. During his fourteen years with the Boston Red Sox, David helped lead the team to three championships, including ending the infamous eighty six year curse the so called Curse of the Bambino in two thousand four. He also set and still holds the team record for most home runs in a single season with fifty four, and is widely considered one of the greatest designated hitters in the history of the game. He's also always been focused on giving back off the field, particularly through the David Ortiz Children's Fund, which provides critical cardiac services the children in need. David, thanks for being here today, Mr President. How are you. I'm good. It's nice to hear your voice. It's good seeing you. Obviously you in a minute. Um. I think everyone who will be listening to this podcast knows who you are and knows probably that you came from the Dominican Republic, But that doesn't explain how you fell in love with baseball and how you've finally got a chance to play in the major So tell us how old were you when you started playing, How were you when you knew you fell in love with the game, and how old were you when you realized you had a chance to make the Major's Well, first of all, I want to say hi to all your audience. It's an honor. So we having this podcast you Mr President and uh In my case, I would like people to understand importance of discipline, dedication and one of the most important things. I always take a lot of pride on on the things that I do, especially when my family list in ball. And and that's where my story begins. You know, I was a kid coming from uh String neighborhood back in the Dominican Republic. But I have a couple of parents who are They wasn't professionists, but they one thing to get to be done the right way. My mom emphasized a lot of education. My dad as well. And my dad was very good baseball player. And but back then it came to be a professional ball player baseball player, it was harder than what it is nowadays. So my dad is just the kind of guy that he had a lot of faith on God and he always told me the story that once he had a quick baseball he basically went to church and prayed to God to have that his first child was a boy, and and that be came to be a baseball player. What I learned from it is that dream come true. You know, God have faith and got it, and you gotta change your dreams. And at some point if you have dedication and discipline, he can come through, you know. And my dad skins. I was a kid, I remember my favor. My very first toy was a baseball back and ball in the glove. But me being a lefty back then in the Dominican it was hard to found a left under blow. So my dad bought me a right handed glove. I used to wear it in the hands when I used to wear and sometimes I used to wear in the left in the hand castaball take the glove off and throw the baseball. And when I was like eight or nine, he got me into this one literal league team because he used to see down when he comes back from work. He used to see and to watch me playing baseball on the street in front of the house. And my dad, for some reason he thought I had something especial going on, and since that he started emphasizing on me following up with baseball because he said that when I was like nine ten years old, the kids that were a ready fourteen and fifteen, used to pick me on their team to play with him. They used to fight to help me playing in dirt team because he said that my hands in that coordination at the age of nine ten, it was very special. So my dad he just he just fall in love where he pushed me, pushed me. I was. I was the type of guy that at some point I truly fall in love with basketball just watching Michael Jordan's and all those guys doing that. That in the NBA was pretty big. Back in the Dominican Republic, I used to love being the basketball court playing basketball. You know. I used to go to the baseball field and then if I see a basketball cortin as, I used to stop at the basketball court, start playing basketball and forget about baseball. That's how crazy it was about baseball, about about basketball at the time. But my dad keep from pushing me, keep from pushing me. He used to go sometimes to the baseball court and be like, hey, no, no, no, that's not what you're gonna be. You're gonna be a baseball player. Here, let's go to the baseball field. And he had got to the point where one day, I don't know where I remember I was on my way to play basketball, and then they had a baseball game going on and they were missing a couple of guys, so they know that I used to practice base but and I was into it, and the guy pulled me into the game and then I hit two homes. When that happened, I was like, wow, I think I can do this. I can't do this. So I started like playing more baseball, and I started following in love more with the game. Baseball was my thing. We were in Chicago and I was in the bar. We are Ellis Bert after the game and the NBA was there, so J having security coming to get uh Ellis Burt and myself to come and join him, and uh that was the time whatever minute, And I told him straight up, hey, look, you know what, because of you, I almost not get to be playing baseball right now. He was like what, And then I started doing the breakdown for him and we were laughing and and it was fun. And but like I said, you know, Uh, I was lucky enough to have parents uh focus on education and sport at the same time without ruined the attention for anyone of or the two things. Educational sport. They want to make sure that I educated myself in that same time. Play is for and thanks to your parents. And then we all owe him a lot because your dad cat you in baseball and you broke the curse of the m Vino in two thousand four. That's exactly how he went down and started the Yokers. The You know, this is very interesting to me because I've spent a lot of time in the Dominican Republic over the last twenty years, and one of my closest friends and college classmates and still lives there. We do a lot of work together and and we've talked a lot about how how rich the baseball heritage is there. Even the great Satchel Page played in the Dominican Republic back in this nineteen sixties and fifties. He'd go down there. So there is a long history there, and there's a most Americans don't know it, but there's a kind of a Latin American World Series every year with Mexico, the American Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba and uh. It was several years ago. It was in Jalisco, and I was invited to go down and be there when we threw out the first pitch with the great boxer Canelo, and thank goodness, he threw the ball and I didn't have to, so his arm was slightly better than mine. Oh my good did you think a lot when you played that you were basically walking in the staffs of one Marshall Sammy Sells, the great Dominican players before. Were you aware that you were carrying this heritage forward? Reality is suppression that I, uh, I was the kid that all I have a mind when that's first joke into the pro was founding the way to help my family. We were poor family coming from the dominic, and my mom and dad I used to work extremely hard to pay for the school, to pay for food. We didn't have any extra things because we can't afford it. And my childhood was really good because he was full of love in respect, but nothing else. We don't have any financial statement. It was the type of living that it was in the day by day type of things and it was basically, you know, surviving type of thing. And but my my mom and dad they hold on tight, they protect uh their kids. They always try their best to take care of us the way they can. At the time when I was like sixteen, seventeen with all the pressure that I was living into it. I know exactly what I need to be and what I want to be. I just don't know what it was gonna take me to get there, but I know my mind has very clear the things that I need to do. Two, put my family in a situation because I was the only way out. I was their only way out. It was the only way out but me. So I know that I had that responsibility, and I started, you know, working on trying to learn what it takes to be one of those guys that you just mentioned. Well, I'm very moved by what you said about your mother, and I know you lost her about twenty years ago. I think this year in the car accident. Yes, and you were paying tribute. You're at you every home running. Yes. I remember when I lost my mom. I was playing for the Twins and it was after New Year Dead. My mom used to go to busy her family, you know, New Year, you know, and that one time it was like basically saying goodbye, because on the way back home they asked it happened, and I was pretty close to my mom. I was, I was, you know, my mom was. I always give some hard time to my sister saying that I was my mom favorite child. She just spoiled man enough, you know what I'm saying, My moments to love cooking and just sit down and watch me eat. She used to call me her big boy, you know. And we had that type of connection. And once that happened, that that heat home hard, you know, because my career, uh, he would just beginning, and it was something that no one is prepared for that, you know. And and I remember I went to spring training in March. I remember I used to celebrate my mother's birthday because her birthday was marched four wards. We were in the middle spring training and that day that it was her birthday. Uh. I remember getting to the field, I got to the parking lot and I was just bawling, crying, and I just sitting down by myself in the parking lot, and uh, the whole team came out and picked me up. And I remember my boy, Buddy Hunter, he was he was my teammate at the time. He was the first one who coming and grabbed me. And you know, everybody was super cool. And I was in the line of that day and I remember I hit two homers on that game, and the first thing that came to my mind after I hit the first summer was doing that that celebration when I got to the plate. And since that day, it was like the best feeling I have had after I hit the home run. I bet you still miss your mother? Oh yeah, every day? My mother dad twenty nine years ago, last January six, and uh, I still think about her, you know all the time. That's a different love, Mr President, That's a different love. You know, you got your wife, you got your kids, you got your family member, you got everybody, you got friends. But the love coming from mom is is different. That's why I always tell my kids, you love for your mom is the love for your mom, you know, it's it's it's something that is extremely different. That connection is different. I'm a guy that I'm buy so many lovely people, so many people, like my family is based on that sprained love everywhere, but that one type of love is different. So you became famous in Boston for many things, but no one will ever forget the speech you gave in Fenway Park after the Boston Marathon bombing, and uh, you captured the feelings of everybody in Boston, but also one of the hearts of everybody in America from how did that happen? How did you come to be speaking and saying that? Do you did you? Did you know what you were gonna say when you started talking? No idea, no idea. But the one thing that I always tell everyone is that first of all, this country it means everything to me. You know, um, this is going to give me the opportunity to me and my family to have a future. And I always keep from telling people, you know, like it's going through to me, it's just like the Dominican Republic. Uh, It's a country that means everything to me. The thing was traveling. I was a Boston rehabit and when I saw all that things happening, I thought I was watching a movie because I couldn't believe. Like the marathon, like who is not related to the marathon? Like the marathon is what we raise money to fight disease, you know, it's what we where everybody get together for the cause. That means a lot to everyone. And when I saw that going down and I was, I was, I got stuck. I don't I don't even know what to think. And I started getting frustrated because I always the rest Socks do a great job we with all of us as a player, making sure that we are involved in the community service. You know what I'm saying. We go to hospital, we go to school, we go to jobs, we we we we like the rest Socks. I'm very proud about what I learned playing for the rest Socks when they come down to community service, because they made sure that we get involved with the community. So one that was going on, I remember seeing a black hawk flying by my house, and you know that you don't see a black hawk every day. Who know that when you see a black hawk there's something going down, And it was when all the chasing was going off. Three days later, the team comes back in town. But three days you know, just seeing all the people that lost family members, that love body parts, all these beautiful people that was trying to help, that was trying to do things, it was very devastating. I mean I I was. I was very very upset. And the one thing that he homed for me especially it was just one kid that got killed, you know, that was something that it was very devastating to me. So when the thing came back in town, we are again and that was going to be my first gig of the season, and we had the ceremony going on going on my family. I had no clue that they were gonna pick me to go out there and say something to the fans. I had no idea that happened, Like I want the ceremony start going five minutes before. They were like, hey, we want you to go out there, and I was in the dog. We want you to go out there and say something to the fans. And all I say out there was me being a citizen. I never thought about me being Dave Rutize, me being the face of the franchise, me being who I was. All I thought about was all the stuff that we went through through all those days as an American citizen, and and that was what I left over an amount when I took over the microphone. And all I want to make sure when I say what I say is that I want people to know that even going through all that this is the greatest country to live. Because I know where I come from, and I know the lack of opportunity that you can have in the third world country. What is something that here in this country, if you come in and work hard, they give the opportunity to have that American dream that we all talk about, and that was it. That was me. You did a great thing for America that day. More after this, when was your first season in the major leagues and how old were you it was? I got cold up my first game, very first game, was a really feel something that I think it was the best experience of all time because you're talking about one of day uh legendary fields. Growing up as a kid, my favorite player was Carby Pocket, and carry Pocket at the time was working in the front office for the Minnesota Twins. But when I got cold up, he was there. Uh he was in the clothhouse, and I think it was the greatest thing and the reason why he he came to be my favorite player, it was because when I was a kid, I had no patience to sit down to watch the baseball game, and my dad's in the playoffs between the Braids and the Minnesota Twins. He basically forced me to see on to watch the game, and I sit down, and that was when Kirby made that that incredible cash in center field that we all remember, and he went out there to hit and then he hit a bomb. So as a kid that I stayed with me forever. So when I got traded from Seattle to Minnesota, the one guy that I wanted me, I mean badly, was Kirby. And Kirby was so good to me. He was like a father to me, Like he was the most fun guy to be year around, you know. And and Kirby take care of all of us, all of us, you know, And he was working in the front office in the spring training. Used to come down and make sure that, you know, our mindset, of our preparation and everything was good to go. But at same time, he was a cloud, which I think made baseball, you know, even more fun when you have a guy like him, you know, being him. It was something that that really really helped us out. And unfortunately we're into losing Kirby down the road. And when I got to Boston the number that used to wear I Minnesota, he was already one of his number that he was hanging up there. Uh, they asked me one number, I want to wear it? And then I went from Kurby. Oh well yeah, that's how he went down. But yeah, my first game was to really feel I remember amy so as I playing right field, Mark Grays played first Gray. I used to be a first base on another time. So Mark Grays was one of my hey were played to watch. So Sammy told Mark Grays about it, and I remember Mark Gray sending me one of his glove autographs to me. That was everything. I lost it when I didn't see that glow it was it was, it was beautiful, It was beautiful, and that was what I got. My first hit, My first thing in the Big League was a double. That's great. I remember in nine when I was still president, I went to Atlanta to celebrate the twenty five anniversary of Henk Karen breaking Babe Bruce home run record and a lot of the great All Stars were there, but the only player that was playing still in doing well who came with Sammy Celsis And I said, I can't believe you're here. I really appreciate you making the effort to come, And he said, uh no, no, no, I had to be here. What you should want to know is where the others are. Did they think we'd be making all this big money if it hadn't been for Hank Aaron getting baseball and doing what he did, you know, and I love the way baseball bills on each other, you know, traditions sometimes now a hundred years old. It's it's beautiful. And Hank Aaron and I became very close friends that He said something that night that I'll never forget, just because it's what I see often in the greatest athletes, a certain humility, you know. And I said, I said, Hank, who's the best player you ever played with her against? And he said, oh, that's not close. He said William Mazes. He said, he, uh, he had the best arm from outfield since for Berto Clemente. He could run like a deer and he could hit like a demon, and he would have broken Babe Ruth record too, if the Giants hadn't moved to Candle State Park where the wind blew oh yeah, from Blackfield right in the home flight. He said, there were nights even God couldn't at home running Candlestick. But I thought, you know, here's this guy celebrating his epic record talking about other people. And I see that all the time in baseball, a sense of the history, of the sense of the appreciation for other people. And I've always respected out about you the way you treat the game with respect, to treat the players with respect, you know, you know, what now that you say that A few things before I forgot when you were talking about Mr hang Aaron's I have a wonderful spirit with him. Before I got to hang out even more with him. I remember we one day without them for War Series and I went with the family to the Bahamas and I'm sitting down having dinner with my family and the table and this yet man stand all right next to me and told me. I'm not looking at him and listening. I'm listening to what he's saying. And he said, hey, and with my grandson, can you sign this baseball for me? And I was like, of course. And then I got the baseball and when I was about to sign it, I look up and when I saw him, I was like, wait a minute, why don't you sign one for me? It was the coolest thing that I ever happened to me. When I saw me saying asking me for an autograph, I was like, not another, you sign one for me? How about that? And now we alway used to make fun at it about it after that, and when it comes down to prospect the game, the one thing that I always Mr President and thought about while I play it was that this game is like when you are an Olympic running that you have to pass the torch to someone else. Uh the game, I would say, unfortunately. It's like that. Why I say unfortunately, because when you fall in love with this game, you never want to be out of it, and at some point you have to because you don't get any younger. You know what I'm saying. By the one thing that I always enjoyed was being able to pass the torch do it on the prowd way. Because I have so many young talented players now that I don't play, coming to me and be like, hey man, you know I appreciate it where you did things and the way you handle the business with we all of us, you know, coming up guys that played with me, Guys that even more part of the opposition that I had to sit down and get their advice because I believe in the talent. I love to see the guys that had the great talent and being able to get them advice, let them know how things though, because all I want all I work about when I play, and even now that I don't place, make sure that the game get better and better and better. And the only way that happened is with educational perspect it's stay there forever. We'll be right back. Do you announce your retirement in before the season and then you went out and at the most home runs by a player in his final year? Ever, how did you know it was time to hang it up? And did you ever have any second thoughts? Um? Reality is that the season before that one, you know, my last first gear, playing my last four years, I will go in through a lot of pain and my achilles. I first injured my right one and then all of a sudden, my my left when the start, you know, start hurting, and the rest of the did a great job. They had a whole team working on me. I remember, uh for the seven p m. Gang, I used to come around to to theddy, but once this olders treatment start taking places, I had to come to the field by noon. So I would left living, you know, the family, earlier than usual to make sure I get ready and prepared to play the game. So to me, I always wear the uniform with a lot of pride and and I know that the fans always expect me too to come through. Uh. While I wore the uniform like that, that was the responsibility that I kind of build up through the time, and and and I had that connection with the fans, and and I want to make sure don't miss a beat while I played so two that going through all that two that in fifteen, I I remember, and that was when I find out that I gotta go through story, right. I remember we were playing I think it was a Seattle and then we went to Houston something like that. I can't really remember, but I remember I hit a double. And when I was a second base, they have a new picture coming in. And while I was sitting there, you know how the players come around you to talk to you, you know, interact with you. Uh, while the picture is getting ready, the infielder came around and everybody was like twenty years old. And I were like, wait a minute, all this guy can be my kids? Is not fun? Uh? And then I'm hurting. I mean, what's going on here? I went home that night and I was thinking about a big time and plus I had a hossle to get that double. And when I stopped a second base, I want to make sure that the next guy hit him. It makes you hit another double or hit at home run, because I don't think I was feeling like scoring with the basic. That's how much I was hurting. So all this stuff started stacking up. And then I went to play to Houston and exactly the same thing happened. I hit a double, they got a new picture coming in. And then I remember our two ways, who is short but he was like nineteen at the time something like that, came to me and he was looking up to me and was like, hi, Poppy. That was when I said, Okay, this is really happening. This is the message right here. He's a great player, Yeah, definitely. And I went home. We got back from the road thread and I went home and I started talking to the family. I told my agent Fernando, and I'm gonna hang it out after this year. And then I remember Fernando asking me, hey, but what happened. If you're older, U prayer option kicks in. I'm like, I don't care. I'm gonna get the prayer for next year, and I'm gonna try my best. I'm gonna get people everything I got, you know. And and that wasn't an amazing seas and amazing this this, and I put some incredible numbers. I don't even know how I did it, because be my last year everywhere I go, people always have something going on for me every every stadium, which is something that I really appreciate. When I went to New York, my boy, Marianna and the whole Yankee they did an amazing ceremony for me, something that I was kind of nervous about before he happened because I don't know what it was gonna turn out to be, you know, because I remember we did Jitter uh a couple of years before that. So the Jitter ceremony, I think with Park was really good. I feel really gay. Everything was very respectful. I mean, the organization did an amazing job. But you know, sometimes the fans get out of control. You know, you can control that. So when I went to the europe My ceremony, it was a little nervous. The Yankee were, uh, Betty committed to uh the ceremony. Everything went perfect with my family. I mean it was beautiful. Were you took over and the as I read the collective bargaining agreement. Now in the playoffs, every team gets a designated hitter. Is that right? So you must like that? Oh man, I wish they can be playing again. Let me let me ask you one thing before I let you go. Tell us how you started and why you started the David Ortiz Children's Fun and what does it do in New England. I think the people would like to know that because I really believe that every citizen who can afford to in terms of time and depending on how young their kids are, I want to have something to do besides their day job. And I think you made a heck of a decision here, So tell us how you started it and why what it does. I think everything began knowing where it comes from. Look, if you had never been bored, sometimes you never get to know. They're really important things in life, you know. I I can call myself lucky that I as a child, I never had to face any critical situation, Thanks God and thanks my parents for it. But I saw a lot of parents family struggle with with a sick child. Let me tell you, I'm crazy about kids, kids who may are everything. You know. I I got my own kids and whenever they see children and I think they deserve the best, you know, And that's how my foundation begins. Just thinking about all the parents that can afford pay for surgery, especially heart surgery. I mean, there's so many disease out there, cancer, diabetic, I mean, you name it, and I had to shoot for one of all of them. And the reason why I went for heart surgery it was because I remember a friend of mine. I was in the Dominican in a friend of mine. It wasn't it was the Sunday, never forget about that. I was getting ready to go to the beach with my family and he told me, can you give me five minutes. I want to take it to a place for you to check up on what is going on there. And I was like, all right, let's do it. The place was five minutes away from my house and in that place is where I had my foundation running right now. It's a hospital settiment. I went there and it was a heart broken when I when I went there because it was this one kid who at the time was my older son age it was four at the time, and it was this little girl who also was there. The tour than just got I certainly done by. It was basically like it wasn't complete because they were needing medicine. The hospital he had only too bad. It wasn't much going on. And then and when I all that, I came out of that room crime because the first thing I thought about, I put myself from that situation and those parents. Let's keep parents situations happing my kids, Thank god they were healthy. But I just wore the shoes for two minutes and and and it feel horrible. So I remember walking out of that room. I promised him that I was gonna be back. And I came into the country during the season and I did so many different things, activities and stuff like that. And I remember I raised like two underground. So I went back to the hospital and donate that money. But my team and my advisor, they told me the best way to do it is building up a foundation. And that's exactly what we did. We build the foundation. We started doing it. Then we started doing things and slowly and now we can say that more than ten tho kids have benefited themselves from that foundation. And over I would say, kids, hi, God, get their surgery done. And it's a it's a game changer for their family because I see when most of the kids that come into the foundation, they come from single mom and this hard problem they can being dependent their mom have to be on top of and all the time, because you know, it's very critical. They a lot of them die from the heart problem. And uh, once we get their surgery done. A couple of months later, you can see mom coming in more taking care of herself with a new job. Because the kids start being independent, you know, they start doing their own activity as a kid. More happiness, it's it's I'm very proud. I think I'm more proud of doing that thing then thing. All the home druns that I hear, I think this time, my really home run is suppressing, because well, that's life is all about. You're gonna hit a lot more with that. I was thrilled when I saw what you did. I can't thank you enough. Well, I could keep you here tomorrow morning. I've had a wonderful time. I think that you know what it's all said and done. If you've been lucky, and you've been lucky, and I've been lucky, what you really want is for every kid to have a chance to live whatever the best life that he or she can live is. Yes, it is, it is. I'm blessing enough to have a good kid. My kids they are just let me, happy people, very humble. They don't act like they have anything, but I guess is because of the way you raise them. That is very important. I always emphasize on that, especially when you when I'm talking to the youth. You know you got I know that your mom and dad they are your best friends and they always gonna be there for you and the ups and down, and you need to pay attention to what they had to say. The longest you pay attention to what they had to say, your future gonna be brian because they're always gonna want the best for you. David Ortie is the whole world admires you and everybody that ever thrilled little baseball game, which is every baseball player, love the game and treated it with the great care you have. We thank you for this time, and I hope at least to some more good things, and I hope some more people will send some money to your foundation so you can help more kids. Thank you very much. Misuppressing what's the honor of being the postcast. I haven't seen you in a minute, and Uh, I'm so glad that I everything went google you doing this, uh Kobe time, because you know that was that was something that care all of us. I think I got better than guy. We have been through it. We gotta continue paying attention to it, but I'm so glad to see you doing well, you and your family, and uh I can wait to see you soon. Thank you. I can't wait either. Why am I telling you? This is a production of My Heart Radio, the Clinton Foundation and at Will Medium. Our executive producers are Craig Menascian and Will Manadi. Our production team includes Jamison Katsufas, Tom Galton, Sir Harowitz, and Jake Young, with production support from Liz Rafferee and Josh Farnham. Original music by Wat White. Special thanks to John Sykes, John Davidson on hell Orina, Corey Ginstley, Kevin thurm, Oscar Flores, and all our dedicated staff and partners at the Clinton Foundation. Hi, I'm back at Courtsield and I'm a deputy Director the Clinton Global Initiative. President Clinton established the Clinton Global Initiative to create a new kind of philanthropic community to address the complex realities of our modern world, where problem solving required the active partnership of government, business, and civil society. Over the years, are proven model has grown to include action networks that can quickly mobilize in the phase of emergencies, whether that's helping Puerto Rico and the Caribbean recover in the wake of Hurricanes Rma and Maria. 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