Tanner Swanson, a catching coach with the New York Yankees, who grew up in Roslyn, Wash., and once coached at the University of Washington. (Photo courtesy Tanner Swanson / MLB)

Tanner Swanson was a week away from starting his first full season in the Major Leagues as a member of the New York Yankees coaching staff. As the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, it wiped out the start of baseball and pretty much every other sport and sent Swanson home to Roslyn, Wash.

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Not content with sitting by as others found ways to contribute their skills and energy toward helping in the fight against coronavirus, Swanson set out to support those entrenched in that fight. He recently helped launch “Coaches vs. COVID,” a grassroots fundraising effort in which a variety of baseball coaches are doing professional development webinars in exchange for donations that go to help Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and its COVID-19 prevention and treatment work.

“I think a lot of people are experiencing this sense of helplessness where you’re quarantined to the house and there’s not a lot you can do to positively impact what’s going on around us,” Swanson said by phone this week from Roslyn, east of Seattle, where he is sheltering with his wife and two kids. “This just felt like a way to do that, leaning on friends and resources throughout the industry and really trying to inspire other people to do the same.”

A former player at Central Washington University, Swanson transitioned quickly to coaching out of college and spent five years at the University of Washington, 2011-16. He then worked for the Minnesota Twins for two years before landing a job as the catching coach with the Yankees, where he oversees all aspects of that position for the team and its farm system.

At the UW, Swanson made lasting relationships with other coaches who have roots in the Northwest and have ascended to Major League coaching roles. And it’s where he first learned about the work of Fred Hutch, through its affiliation with the university.

He became even closer to the institution when his sister was going through treatments for breast cancer. She passed away a year ago, and Swanson knew where he wanted to direct his attention when looking for a way to help this spring — Fred Hutch felt personal.

Webinar participants are encouraged to donate $10 to $25 per session, with all proceeds going to Fred Hutch, and the movement is growing as Swanson builds a bigger team of friends and colleagues interested in leading sessions.

“I’ve been blown away by the interest, primarily from professional coaches throughout the industry that wanted to support the mission and participate in events and host their own,” Swanson said. “A lot of coaches are trying to figure out how they can utilize this time and do something positive. That’s been my motivation and I think it’s resonated.”

Check out images from some of the sessions, as shared on Twitter by an LSU softball coach:

Seated in front of a laptop at his home last weekend, Swanson led a session though the Zoom collaboration app on catching that attracted a good-size audience and raised $1,200.

Billy Boyer, an infield and base running coordinator for the Twins, who coached with Swanson at UW, led a session on infield play. Donegal Fergus, another UW vet now with the Twins, had 200 coaches live at one time in his batting skills session and raised $1,500.

Chicago Cubs first base and catching coach Craig Driver, who graduated from Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School and played at the University of Puget Sound, will lead a session today at 10 a.m. PT.

Follow Swanson on Twitter to learn about when other webinars are coming up.

“Coaches vs. Covid” has raised more than $8,400 toward a $25,000 goal. While Swanson’s effort has attracted his fellow baseball coaches, he said it’s open to coaches looking to teach any sport who just want to aid the cause.

In the meantime, Swanson calls being at home with his family during the health crisis the “silver lining” in the whole ordeal. Especially as he was gearing up for a season with the Yankees that would have kept him away for much longer than previous assignments.

“I have two young kids, so we’re having family dinners every night and doing homeschool stuff that, in the past, I haven’t always been able to be a part of,” Swanson said. “I was anticipating being away from my family for probably longer than I ever have. And instead I’m home more than I’ve ever been.”