Bradenton Marauders

Pirates Charities Presents Gift to Boys and Girls Clubs

April 8, 2013

$62,000 raised during Spring Training presented at Marauders opener

Pirates Charities, the official Philanthropic arm of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bradenton Marauders, partnered with Bright House Networks to present a $62,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County. Pirates Senior Director of Florida Operations, Trevor Gooby and Bright House Networks Florida Marketing Manager of Sponsorships, Events and Promotions, Amy Sumerlin presented the donation at the Bradenton Marauders home opener Friday night.

Money for the donation was raised during several Pirates Spring Training fundraising efforts. More than $15,000 was raised from ticket sales during Bright House Networks Night at McKechnie Field on March 8^th. That game was attended by 6,353 fans, the most ever for a night game at McKechnie Field.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County have been supporting youths ages 5 through 17 that need it most for more than 67 years. The Boys and Girls Clubs have seven locations helping more than 6,000 children develop good character and citizenship and make progress towards graduating high school.

Pirates Charities was founded in 2006. It has contributed more than $3.1 million to the greater Pittsburgh, Bradenton and Manatee County, and Estorga, Dominican Republic communities.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Bradenton Marauders. Click here to view the original story.

Tagged as: Boys and Girls Clubs, Bradenton Marauders, Children's Health & Development, Donations & Scholarships, Florida, Florida State League, Pittsburgh Pirates

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Marauders in the Community

September 25, 2012

The off-season is still a busy time for the Marauders when it comes to helping the community

Baseball season may be over, but the Marauders are still busy staying involved in the local community. Players, front office members, and mascot are still busy putting forward a great effort to make a positive contribution in Manatee County.

Marty the Marauder was in attendance on Saturday, September 15 as the Miracle League of Manasota held their opening day for the fall 2012 season. Six teams and more than 90 registered players took part in three games at the new Miracle League fields that opened earlier this year with financial support from the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles.

Congratulations are due to 2012 Marauder Casey Sadler and 2010 Marauder Tim Alderson for earning recognition for their tremendous community service during the 2012 season. Sadler was the Marauders’ Pirates Community Commitment Program Award winner this season. Alderson received the award with the Altoona Curve. Both players were recognized at PNC Park last Tuesday before the Pirates game against the Brewers.

Manager of Florida Operations A.J. Grant raised more than $1,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association by participating in the local MDA chapter’s Lock Up event at Pier 22 Restaurant. More than a dozen donors helped A.J. raise that lofty amount for a great cause.

Tagged as: Bradenton Marauders, Children's Health & Development, Florida, Florida State League, Miracle League, Pittsburgh Pirates, Volunteering

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Marauders Reward Commitment to Reading

July 8, 2012

Enjoy the summer with books, baseball and pizza

The Bradenton Marauders have launched the Marauders Reading Scores Program to get Manatee County children reading this summer. Manatee County elementary school students that read four books and complete a Reading Scores card provided by the Marauders can redeem the card for a free ticket to a Marauders game and a coupon for one free 10-inch small cheese pizza from Papa John’s.

The Marauders Reading Scores Program is presented by Papa John’s Pizza, the Bradenton Herald, the Manatee Education Foundation, and the School District of Manatee County. Reading Scores cards are available at McKechnie Field, the front desk at Pirate City, and Manatee County libraries.

Each time a child reads a book, he or she can color in one base on their Marauders Reading Scores card, write the book’s title in the assigned space under the base, and have a parent or guardian sign the form. After reading their fourth book of the summer, home plate can be colored in and the card is ready to be exchanged. Turn the card in at the McKechnie Field box office for a free Marauders ticket to any non-Wednesday game and a coupon for a free small chesse pizza from Papa John’s.

The Marauders Reading Scores program is part of the Bradenton Marauders’ commitment to making a positive impact in their local community. Helping children learn not only to read, but to enjoy reading, is important to improving educational success. Marty the Marauder and several Marauders players visited the Manatee County Central Library in Bradenton Monday to promote childhood reading.

“Reading is the building block of learning,” Marauders pitcher Jason Townsend said. “Everything starts with reading.”

Fellow pitcher Kenn Kasparek echoed Townsend’s sentiments.

“Read to succeed isn’t just a saying,” Kasparek said. “Reading enhances your hunger for knowledge.”

For more information about the Marauders Reading Scores Program, call 941-747-3031 or email MaraudersInfo@Pirates.com.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Bradenton Marauders. Click here to view the original story.

Tagged as: Bradenton Marauders, Children's Health & Development, Florida, Florida State League, Pittsburgh Pirates, Reading Programs

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Bradenton Marauders Education Day

May 2, 2011

The Bradenton Marauders, the Class-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, held its annual Education Day on April 25th at 10:00am for the students of Manatee County. Over 920 students participated, enjoying a beautiful day of baseball while having the opportunity to learn at the ball park.

Marauders Education Day was a success, with the help of local vendors including Mixon Fruit Farms, Mote Marine Laboratory, South Florida Museum, Manatee County Substance Abuse Coalition and Manatee County Library, who set up educational stations inside the ball park during the game. Along with the local vendors, the Bradenton Marauders established three interactive education stations; a math, geography and language table, each bringing an educational approach to baseball. The math station taught students how to calculate ERA and batting averages, the geography table displayed a world map pinpointing the hometowns of each of the Marauder players and Marauder language table depicted English words found in baseball and their Spanish translations.