Rivera is involved with philanthropic contributions in his native Panama, which include building an elementary school and a church, providing Christmas gifts to children, and developing a program that provides computer access and adult mentors to youths.The Mariano Rivera Foundation annually distributes more than $500,000 to underprivileged children in the US and Panama through church-based institutions. Rivera intends to dedicate himself to philanthropy after retiring from baseball. In 2012, The Giving Back Fund estimated that he donated $627,500 to charity in 2010, ranking him as the 25th-most generous celebrity on a list that the fund compiled.
I heard an interview with Bruce Chen of the Kansas City Royals last summer. The interviewer asked him if he was a hero in his native Panama (I know, he doesn’t look Panamanian). He said that the Panamanians idolize Rivera and Roberto Duran and there wasn’t much love left for anyone else.