Michael Bourn knows there are a lot of people hurting financially because of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
That’s why the Nimitz High grad and former Major League Baseball player is doing what he can to help those in need.
Bourn, who played 11 years in the majors and spent three years with the Houston Astros (2008-10), owns three apartment complexes in Houston. To assist his tenants who might be struggling financially to provide necessities for their families, he waived their rent for April and May.
Precinct 2 County Commissioner Adrian Garcia learned of Bourn’s gesture and had a resolution passed by the Harris County Commissioner’s Court on April 28 to recognize his act of kindness.
Bourn said it didn’t take him long to decide to reach out to his fellow man.
“We are all in this together,” he said. “I just felt like they (his tenants) could benefit from taking a break from paying their rent. I don’t know everyone of my tenants, but I do know some of them have been laid off. I believe if you are able to help someone else, you should.”
Bourn said he hopes his kind gesture helps during this difficult time for so many Houstonians.
“There are so many things they can buy, so I thought it was right to lend them a helping hand,” he said. “If they can buy extra groceries or clothes, then that’s great.”
Bourn, who graduated from Nimitz High in 2000 and then attended the University of Houston on a baseball scholarship, played in the majors from 2006 until 2016. He began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, and played for the Astros, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, the Arizona Diamondbacks and completed his career with the Baltimore Orioles.
He was a two-time All-Star (in 2010 with the Astros and in 2012 with the Braves) and twice led the National League in stolen bases in 2009 and 2010 and led the American League in steals in 2011 with Toronto. In 2014 he led the American League in triples while playing for Cleveland.
Today, he is a businessman and father who enjoys watching his son and daughter participate in youth sports.
He has also returned to Aldine to speak at career days at Nimitz and Teague Middle School.
“It’s nice to go back and see where I came from,” Bourn said.
And thanks to Michael Bourn, he’s made life a little bit easier for folks who are going through tough times.