TinCaps pledge support for Boston

Fort Wayne organizations to donate to American Red Cross

FortWayneTinCaps_2013-04-16

 

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne TinCaps and Fort4Fitness are pledging their support to the victims of the tragic events that took place at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15. During Fort Wayne’s upcoming three-game series at Parkview Field from Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 21, the TinCaps organization will make a donation to the American Red Cross for each fan who comes to the ballpark sporting attire — shirt, sweatshirt, hat, bib, etc. — from a charitable or competitive running race.

“Although we in Fort Wayne are hundreds of miles from Boston, we feel compelled to do whatever we can to help those who are in need,” TinCaps President Mike Nutter said. “And as hosts of the annual Fort4Fitness races, we feel especially tied to the running community. While the dollars that will be raised over the weekend are important, perhaps just as helpful is to give folks in the Fort Wayne area a chance to show their solidarity with those suffering in Boston.”

Fans who visit the Fort4Fitness booth behind home plate at Parkview Field this weekend will have the opportunity to sign a banner of support that will then be sent to Boston and given to those affected by Monday’s events. In addition, fans will be able to make individual donations to the American Red Cross.

“It’s important that we take the time to remember and honor the victims of this tragic event,” Fort4Fitness Executive Director Brad Kimmel said. “We may run our races in a different city and state, but we’re all in this together, and this is just one small way we can show our support for everyone who has been impacted by this. We encourage all past participants and their friends and family to wear their Fort4Fitness or other race gear as a sign of support.”

TinCaps games at Parkview Field where fans are encouraged to support Boston victims:

• Friday, April 19, 7:05 P.M. vs. Lansing Lugnuts
• Saturday, April 20, 5:05 P.M. vs. Lansing Lugnuts
• Sunday, April 21, 3:05 P.M. vs. Lansing Lugnuts

For more information, call the TinCaps at 260-482-6400.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Click here to view the original story.

Pelicans launch ‘Make a Splash’ campaign

“Make a Splash Monday” headlines wide array of community-based initiatives

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are launching their “Make a Splash” marketing campaign as part of the team’s 15th Anniversary season on the Grand Strand. As part of the initiative, the Pelicans hope to raise $250,000 in an effort to make Myrtle Beach a better place to live, work and play.

“The barometer for success in professional sports is determined by success at the turnstile and in how a franchise succeeds in becoming part of the fabric of their community,” General Manager Andy Milovich said. “We want to celebrate our 15th anniversary season by making new memories and changing lives for the better.

Every Monday Pelicans home game will be a “Make a Splash Monday” at TicketReturn.Com Field. “Make a Splash Monday” enables fans to “connect with your community” and it is presented all season long by HTC.

The Pelicans have adopted the “Backpack Buddies” program as the primary charitable partner of “Make a Splash Mondays.” “Backpack Buddies” provides food, books, clothing and school supplies to impoverished children so they have the tools to succeed outside of school hours.

Each “Make a Splash Monday,” fans who donate an item listed on the “Backpack Buddies” donation list will receive half-price admission along with a complimentary autographed baseball card from a Pelicans player that features him doing work in the community. A full list of accepted items can be found here.

“Backpack Buddies” is part of the Help 4 Kids 501c3 and has been in existence since 1989 to provide basic necessities to the children of the working poor in Horry County.

In addition to Mondays at the TicketReturn.Com Field, the “Make a Splash” campaign will feature charity ticket fundraisers, more than 10 of which are already scheduled. Additional efforts include Bruce Dal Canton fundraising, Miracle League Improvement and American Red Cross Blood Drives. Pelicans players and front office members will continue to volunteer community service time.

The Pelicans will also be honoring companies and organizations that demonstrate their commitment to the community. Those organizations that submit a “Pelican Pledge” or are nominated by another party for their efforts in the community will receive complimentary tickets to “Make a Splash Monday” and will be recognized at the ballpark. Honorees will be recognized on the video board and would have a first pitch opportunity prior to a Pelicans home game.

Check out our Splash Park. For more information check out the “Tickets and Promotions” section of the Pelicans Web site.

The Pelicans open the 2013 season on Thursday, April 4 at 7:05 p.m. against the Wilmington BlueRocks. The first “Make a Splash Monday” is slated for April 15. To buy tickets or for more information on the “Make a Splash” campaign, call 918-6000.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Click here to view the original story.

SWB’s “Big Reveal” & Red Cross Partner for Sandy Relief

A New Jersey for New Jersey Coincides With “Big Reveal”

Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-YankeThe Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees have announced a partnership with the local Red Cross offices to collect money and non-perishable food for New Jersey victims of Hurricane Sandy. As part of the “New Jersey for New Jersey” collaboration, the two entities will accept donations at Genetti Manor on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The effort coincides with the club’s “Big Reveal” of a new team name, logo, colors, etc. To incentivize participation, the very first official team jersey for the club’s soon-to-be-revealed rebranding will go to one of the generous donors.”It feels good to do good,” said Rob Crain, president and general manager of the SWB Yankees. “We have donated to those in our backyard of NEPA. It just seems right to also use this tremendous opportunity of a once-in-a-lifetime fan experience to carry goodwill to our neighbors heavily affected by this tragic storm.”

Each dollar or non-perishable canned good donated that night will result in one entry for a raffle that will reward one lucky fan with the hottest piece of sportswear in NEPA.

American-Red-Cross-vertical“In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many lives have been irrevocably changed,” said Carmon Flynn, executive director of the Red Cross of Lackawanna, Bradford-Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming. “Fundraising efforts such as this one help our neighbors in New Jersey weather the effects of Superstorm Sandy and empower the American Red Cross to provide a quick and compassionate response. Whether it is a meal, a warm blanket or a place to sleep, our community’s support of the Red Cross makes this possible. We are grateful to our partners with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees for holding this benefit.”

Remember, the team’s “Big Reveal” party will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Genetti Manor, 1505 Main Street, Dickson City. The free event is open to the public.

At the event, the long-awaited new team name will be announced, along with the unveiling of new logos and player uniforms. The family-friendly party will also feature free food and beverages (alcohol excluded), inflatable games, jugglers, caricature artists, face painters, balloon artists and much more.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Click here to view the original story.

Money From Last Homestand Given to Red Cross

More than $1,000 to be used to help fire victimes

The Yakima Bears were proud to present the American Red Cross with $1,110 Wednesday. The funds were raised during the team’s most recent homestand to help the victims of the Taylor Bridge Fire in central Washington.

Money was accepted at each of the six games the Bears played from Thursday to Tuesday. There were cups at each concession stand and a bucket near the front gate where fans could drop cash donations. Bears fans also participated in nightly raffles with the winners taking home a variety of jerseys and team-signed baseballs.

“It was exciting to see the response from our fans, who were inspiring with their generosity,” said Bears general manager K.L. Wombacher.

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

Bears to Accept Donations for Fire Victims

Fans can donate in a variety of ways

The Yakima Bears have announced that throughout the six-game homestand beginning today the team will be collecting donations for the victims of the Taylor Bridge fire.

“While we can only imagine the hardships suffered by our neighbors in central Washington, we know that with roughly 10,000 people expected to come through Yakima County Stadium over the next six days we can provide an avenue for aid,” said Bears General Manager K.L. Wombacher.

The Bears will have a bucket at the front gate and collection jars at concession stands for all six games. The team will also be holding a raffle for game-worn jerseys and team signed baseballs on a nightly basis. The Bears will give 100% of the funds collected to the Ellensburg Chapter of the American Red Cross to help victims of the fire.

As of Wednesday, it had been reported the fire near Ellensburg and Cle Elum in central Washington had burned approximately 22,000 acres and hundreds of people had been displaced.

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

Joplin relief efforts total over $6,500

Club has held jersey, memorabilia auctions during homestand

Naturals' catcher Ryan Eigsti helps serve up a meal in Jolin on Monday, June 6th. (Fran Johnson)
Naturals’ catcher Ryan Eigsti helps serve up a meal in Jolin on Monday, June 6th. (Fran Johnson)

SPRINGDALE, AR – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals visited the tornado stricken city of Joplin, Missouri on Monday on the heels of a six-game homestand that saw the Naturals collect $6,659.66 in donations and nearly $7,000 total in cash and items to contribute to the relief effort.

The donations will be made to the Red Cross of Northwest Arkansas and highlighted during the game during a short check presentation on the field.

Catcher Ryan Eigsti along with left-handed pitcher Buddy Baumann, General Manager Eric Edelstein, and the Naturals’ mascot Strike visited Joplin earlier Monday to assist in serving a lunch to tornado victims and volunteers helping with the relief efforts.

During the first five games of the Naturals’ current six-game homestand, the club has held a jersey auction, sports memorabilia auction, nightly post-game launch-a-ball, and optional donations at Red Dirt Outfitters. The club also extended an offer for free tickets for Joplin residents during this homestand.

In addition, the Naturals’ parent club, the Kansas City Royals, via its Royals Charities non-profit arm made a $25,000 donation to Heart to Heart International for its relief efforts in the city of Joplin. In addition, Royals fans generously contributed more than $18,000 during an in-stadium collection held earlier this homestand that will benefit the American Red Cross relief efforts.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Click here to view the original story.

OceanFirst Donates $30k Through HRs for Heroes

OceanFirst Foundation donated $30,000 to local military-based charities in 2010 as part of the Home Runs for Heroes program with the BlueClaws.

Home Runs for Heroes, presented by OceanFirst Foundation, 92.7 WOBM and 1160 WOBM-AM, pairs nine military-based charities with positions on the field (including designated hitter, not including pitcher).

Every time a BlueClaws hit a home run at FirstEnergy Park, one of the nine charities received a donation from OceanFirst Foundation.

“When our young men and women leave to serve their country, they leave families behind here in the States. We support those organizations that help those families and we support those organizations that help our soldiers when they come home,” said OceanFirst Bank President Vito Nardelli.

Army Emergency Relief-Fort Dix led the way with $8,000, $7,000 of which came courtesy of home runs by BlueClaws first baseman Jonathan Singleton.

VETGROUP, which benefitted from five home runs by BlueClaws catcher Sebastian Valle, earned $6,000.

Below are the 2010 standings in full:

Organization Position Home Runs Total
Army Emergency Relief-Fort Dix 1B 8 $8,000
VETGROUP C 6 $6,000
American Red Cross RF 4 $4,000
Catholic Charities CF 3 $3,000
Navy/Marine Relief-Lakehurst LF 3 $3,000
NJ National Guard Family Readiness SS 2 $2,000
A.R.M.S DH 2 $2,000
Navy/Marine Relief-Earle 2B 1 $1,000
Army Emergency Relief-Fort Monmouth 3B 0 $1,000

Founded in 1996, OceanFirst Foundation is the first foundation in the country to be established by a bank as part of an initial public offering. OceanFirst’s contributions to local charities continue to grow. In 2009, OceanFirst Foundation donated more than $1.2 million to community initiatives. OceanFirst Foundation has contributed approximately $20 million to over 600 local charities in Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties since its inception. Its four priorities include Housing, Health and Wellness, Improving the Quality of Life, and Youth Development. For more information, visit www.OceanFirstFdn.org.

OceanFirst Bank President Vito Nardell (center, with trophy) presents checks to recipients.

CPR “Certified” Fun at The Diamond!

On Saturday, May 29, the Richmond Flying Squirrels teamed up with the Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross for CPR Grand Slam!  Residents in the Greater Richmond area took an online class and then finished their CPR certification training in the outfield at The Diamond! Participants were greeted by Nutzy as they checked in, then taken down on to the field to finish training.  Once the course was completed, the newly certified patrons earned a ticket to that night’s Squirrels game and were recognized for attending the life saving training! The youngest participant certified was 13 years old–he tossed out the ceremonial first pitch!

Red Cross CPR training on the outfield
Nutzy and our first pitch winner after completing CPR training at only 13!

“Home Runs for Heroes” Recipients Announced

The BlueClaws, OceanFirst Foundation, 92.7 WOBM and 1160 WOBM-AM are happy to announce the 2010 recipient charities for this season’s “Home Runs for Heroes” program. This will be the program’s second season. Last year, OceanFirst donated $24,000 to local charities that provide essential support to veterans and active members of the United States military after every BlueClaws home run at FirstEnergy Park.

This season’s recipients are the American Red Cross, American Recreational Military Services (ARMS), Army Emergency Relief (Fort Dix), Army Emergency Relief (Fort Monmouth), Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (Earle), Navy-Marine Corps Relief (Lakehurst), Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton, National Guard State Family Readiness Council and Vetgroup.

Like last year, the program will tie each position on the field (not including pitcher, but including designated hitter) with one of the randomly selected participant charities. Each home run by the BlueClaws at home this year will bring a $1,000 donation to the corresponding charity courtesy of OceanFirst Foundation. In addition to the grant money received, each organization will receive publicity at the ballpark and on WOBM AM and FM.

“Last year’s program was a smashing success and we’re looking forward to an even bigger season in 2010,” said Katherine Durante, Executive Director of OceanFirst Foundation. “Our servicemen and women give the ultimate sacrifice and this is a great way to support soldiers and their families here at home.”

“WOBM-AM and FM is proud to play a part in Home Runs for Heroes this year,” said Kevin Williams, Vice President of Millennium Radio New Jersey. “This is a very significant cause that is close to all of our hearts. We hope that the BlueClaws hit a lot of home runs.”

Results will be updated throughout the year on BlueClaws.com, OceanFirstFdn.org, Wobm.com, BlueClaws radio broadcasts and during all BlueClaws home games at FirstEnergy Park. All charities will have a representative interviewed on the Ocean County Breakfast Show by Shawn Michaels and Sue Moll on 92.7 WOBM.

Founded in 1996, OceanFirst Foundation is the first foundation in the country to be established by a bank as part of an initial public offering. OceanFirst’s contributions to local charities continue to grow. In 2009, OceanFirst Foundation donated more than $1.2 million to community initiatives. OceanFirst Foundation has contributed approximately $20 million to over 600 local charities in Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties since its inception. Its four priorities include Housing, Health and Wellness, Improving the Quality of Life, and Youth Development.

Blue Rocks Donate Nearly Half a Million for Local Causes

The Wilmington Blue Rocks proudly announce that the 2009 season saw the team, in tandem with its marketing partners and fans, donate and raise $424,000 worth of contributions to local charities, schools and community organizations. The sum represents a collective of many different types of contributions with the majority coming from monetary and ticket donations.

“We take pride in being able to contribute at this level to youth and charitable organizations in the greater Wilmington area,” said Blue Rocks general manager Chris Kemple. “I’m certain that we could not have done this without assistance from our 2009 marketing partners and fans that also played a large role in raising these funds.”

Blue Rocks concessionaire, Centerplate, allows community organizations the opportunity to volunteer at the concession stands during home games in return for a percentage of the money received at each stand. Thanks to this program almost $74,000 was given back to community organizations.

The Blue Rocks continue to support local youth baseball and donated over $1,600 as well as used baseball equipment to local Little League organizations.

Game-worn memorabilia auctions saw an increase in frequency and dollar amounts, helping to raise over $6,300. On April 19, the Blue Rocks wore purple hats to raise money for the Bernadette Farrell Memorial Fund as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Night. The Rocks sported pink jerseys on May 29 to benefit the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.

The Rocks wore camouflage hats on May 30 and August 1 to raise money for Delaware Boots on the Ground and USO Delaware. On July 3, Wilmington donned patriotic jerseys to support United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware (UCP). The Rocks wore Red hats on June 25 to raise funds for the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula. The Rocks also sported gold jerseys on Aug. 13 for Elvis Night to benefit the local chapter of the American Lung Association. Blue Rocks players went beyond the laundry too, donating game-worn cleats and batting gloves that were auctioned off for charity.

Almost 60,000 tickets were distributed to area schools over the course of the season. Mascot Rocky Bluewinkle led the charge to promote literacy with

his Reading Challenge, presented by the Delaware State Education Association. The Blue Rocks worked with local schools to reward kids who met their reading goal. In 2009, over 150 area schools were awarded a total of 57,000 tickets. Along with Rocky’s Reading Challenge the Blue Rocks donated over 2,500 tickets through programs like the IFS Outstanding Students Program, which allows teachers to reward students who display excellence in behavior and performance in the classroom.

The team also donated over 8,000 tickets to community organizations throughout the 2009 campaign with 6,000 going to local fundraisers, 1,000 donated to the USO Delaware to use for their soldiers and staff, and the remainder finding a number of other local non-profit organizations in need. Those same non-profit groups received another $2,000 worth of free/discounted video board advertising and concourse tables to promote themselves and their worthy events.

The Blue Rocks organized special events to collect money and goods for those less fortunate. Before the season, the team held a gift drive for kids at the Mary Campbell Center. The team also offered ticket discounts to fans that donated items to the Food Bank of Delaware. The Blue Rocks Charity Golf Classic, held at Deerfield Golf and Tennis Club on Aug. 17, raised over $1,500 for UCP and CHILD, Inc. in one day.

Community appearances proved a regular item on the team’s calendar. Mascot Rocky Bluewinkle and numerous Blue Rocks players visited A.I. duPont Hospital for Children at least once a month throughout the season in addition to other appearances. Rocky logged over 60 community service hours at schools and charitable events as well. Rocks’ players put in over 20 hours despite their grueling 140-game schedule over five-plus months time. The Blue Rocks visited schools and community organizations throughout the Delaware Valley, tallying over 40 hours of their time throughout the season.

The K’s for Kids Program presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware (BCBSDE) completed its fourth season with great success. BCBSDE donated $10 to a local charity for every home game strikeout the Blue Rocks pitching staff recorded. Thanks to this program, BCBSDE presented Girls on the Run a check for $5,000 before the Blue Rocks game on Sept. 2.

Challenger Little League returned for its annual day of baseball on May 12. Teams from the league were able to play their games on Judy Johnson Field before the Rocks’ contest later that night in a tradition that has spanned over a decade.

During the last homestand of the regular season, the Wilmington police department collected donations for the daughter of a slain Georgetown police officer Chad Spicer. The generosity of Blue Rocks fans contributed over $5,000 to Aubrey Spicer’s trust fund.

Blue Rocks players (left to right) Clint Robinson, Adrian Ortiz and Ryan Eigsti joined with Rocky Bluewinkle for a visit at A.I. duPont Hospital during the season. (Brad Glazier)