Two Young Artists Make the Big Leagues as Nationals Highlight Partnership with The Inn

In the midst of the 2024 season, Jake Irvin and Jacob Young—two budding stars with the Washington Nationals—came to The Children’s Inn at NIH for a meet-and-greet with residents and a tour of the facility. They played games and took part in art activities, signed autographs, posed for pictures, and spoke to each of the children, teens, and young adults who came to meet them.

It was each player’s first interaction with The Inn, but it was just the latest part of a partnership between The Inn and the Nationals that dates back well over a decade. And it made a serious impression on the ballplayers.

Fast forward to August 6, 2025. A bus full of Inn residents wound its way through DC traffic to Nationals Park for that night’s game as part of The Inn’s Teen Retreat. Prior to the game, team representatives ushered the group into a press conference room just off the Nationals clubhouse for a pregame reunion with Jake and Jacob. The two Nats stars seemed just as excited to see the group as the group was to see them.

Irvin and Young greeted each person individually, recognizing some familiar faces from their visit a year prior. As they chatted, they realized that two Inn residents – Sam and Naomi – had the art skills they were looking for to design custom cleats for the upcoming MLB Players Weekend, which allows the athletes to showcase their personalities and causes near and dear to their hearts.

Sam, who, like Jake, grew up in Minnesota, incorporated their home state and The Inn’s home state of Maryland into his design, along with a drawing of Irvin pitching and a Nationals curly W to tie it all together. Naomi fashioned Jacob’s cleats using The Inn’s blue and yellow colors. She also drew the center fielder as Spider-Man, with a web shooting out of his glove to snare another seemingly impossible catch.

“I was lucky enough to see Jake and Jacob both times I went to The Inn in the past two years,” said Sam, who is from Maple Grove, Minnesota, not far from Jake’s hometown of Bloomington. “I really connected with Jake about Minnesota and about creativity. Before they left The Inn [last year], he told me ‘Don’t stop creating.’ Now with the cleats, he can have a piece of that forever.”

Jacob’s cleats were on his feet throughout the Players Weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Though Irvin did not pitch that weekend, he wore Sam’s design later that week in a start against the New York Mets.

The story of the cleats was featured in Sports Illustrated. Jacob told SI why the connection was so meaningful for him and his teammate. “We all go through hard times, but these kids are doing it a young age,” he explained. “It’s fun for us to be that light for them.”

The partnership between The Inn and the Nats started during the 2013 season. That year, the Ks for Kids program was introduced: Washington Area Toyota Dealers donated to The Inn every time a Nationals pitcher struck a batter out. Over the years, The Inn has received over $800,000 in donations through the Ks for Kids program, including more than $50,000 during the 2025 campaign.

Recently, the Ks for Kids program has been celebrated by an annual visit from Screech, the Nationals’ mascot. This year’s visit occurred on August 26, when the lovable eagle met with families at The Inn. Screech played games, led the families in cheers for the Nats, signed autographs, and posed for pictures.

Screech’s visit capped the exciting month of interactions between The Inn’s families and the Nats. “We are so grateful to the Nationals and to Washington Area Toyota Dealers,” said The Inn’s CEO Jennie Lucca. “For 13 years now, the Ks for Kids program has helped make childhood possible for thousands of families who have called The Inn their Place Like Home. We were thrilled to welcome Jake Irvin and Jacob Young to The Inn last year, and are even more proud to know that they remain so committed to our mission. They welcomed our families to Nationals Park as if they were old friends, and gave Sam and Naomi an opportunity of a lifetime. We deeply appreciate the time and effort put into this partnership by so many people.”