Cubs & PNC Bank Donate 5,300 Notebooks

The Daytona Cubs & PNC Bank have partnered to donate 5,300 notebooks to at-risk Volusia County second through fifth graders.

Daytona-Cubs-logoAs part of the The Daytona Cubs education program, the Cubs have teamed up with PNC Bank to provide notebooks to 5,300 at-risk second through fifth graders in Volusia County.

PNC Bank has joined forces with the Daytona Cubs in this initiative because the bank recognizes the role school readiness plays in the well-being of local children, their families and ultimately, the economy. Research shows the measurable impact school readiness has on the future success of at-risk children in school and life. By preparing the Daytona area’s youngest citizens for educational success, The Cubs and PNC Bank can help build a solid foundation for the future of this region.

Volusia-County-Schools-logo2Cubby, the Daytona Cubs team mascot, the Cubs staff members and PNC Bank representatives have already delivered the notebooks to 10 elementary schools, with the final three schools scheduled for the week of March 18th.

This article orginally appeared on the Daytona Cubs’ website

Armed Forces Day Celebration at the Ballpark

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Saturday, May 19 vs. St. Lucie Mets @ 6:00 p.m. (Gates open at 4:30 p.m.)
Patriotic Fireworks Extravaganza following the game (weather permitting).

Armed Forces Day Celebration
The Flying Tigers will be honoring current and retired members of the military for their service to the country. Veterans and current military personnel will also receive FREE admission. There will be a special JROTC Pass and Review celebration on the field prior to the game.

Pre-Game
Roy Powers and the Last Exit Blues Band will be performing in the concourse prior to the game.

North Lakeland Little League Team Party
The Flying Tigers will be hosting North Lakeland Little League’s team parties before and during the game. Each team will parade on the field prior to the game.

Tiger Trot 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run
The Flying Tigers annual Tiger Trot 5K will take place on Saturday, May 19 at Joker Marchant Stadium. The race will begin at 8:00 am with registration and packet pickup beginning at 7:00 am. Trophies will be awarded to the Overall Male/Female, Masters Male/Female as well as age group winners. There will also be special military team awards. 5K entry fee is $25 and includes race t-shirt (while supplies last) and a special dog tag. The Tiger Trot benefits the Detroit Tigers Foundation of Florida, Polk County ROTC programs and The Ledger’s Newspaper in Education Program. To register please click here.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Click here to view the original story.

Miracle hat on sale to support Sandy Relief

FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 12, 2012) – The Fort Myers Miracle are holding a hurricane relief sale to help raise funds for those in need after Superstorm Sandy made landfall in the northeastern United States in late October.

The Miracle will offer the official 2012 on-field fitted cap with the 20th anniversary logo for $20 with $5 of each sale donated to Hurricane Sandy relief. The hat is all navy blue and features the “M” logo on the front.

“Playing any role we can to help and assist all affected by Superstorm Sandy is very important to us,” said Miracle General Manager Andrew Seymour.

Click here to order!
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fort Myers Miracle. Click here to view the original story.

Marauders in the Community

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.

Pirates Visit Everyday Blessings, Inc. in Sarasota

Facility is a home to keep foster children together with their siblings

Members of the Gulf Coast League Pirates, who play their games at Pirate City in Bradenton, visited the Everyday Blessings, Inc. residential facility in Sarasota Thursday. Members of the team have visited the facility several times during the last four months as part of the Pirates Community Commitment Program.

EBI provides foster care to sibling groups to keep siblings from being separated while awaiting permanent placement. The Sarasota facility opened in February. The original facility is in Hillsborough County.

When players visit, they eat dinner with the children and live-in caretakers at the residential facility. After dinner, the players take part in outdoor sports activities and games with the children. There are currently 12 children housed in Sarasota with EBI, ranging in age from three to 11 years old. All of the children are part of a sibling group.

Emily Dutton, the Sarasota Residential Manager for EBI, said the children love it when the players come to visit. “I think they enjoy seeing there are other people in the community that understand and support them,” Dutton said.

Many of the children have had to face abuse and neglect in their old homes prior to being placed with EBI. “It’s important for them to see that through hard work you can accomplish your goals and aspirations despite circumstances that aren’t always ideal,” Dutton said. “The young men who come to visit understand that life isn’t always perfect or easy. Some of them have dealt with tough circumstances to get where they are now.”

The Pirates Community Commitment Program was created in 2008 to help players in the Pirates organization give back to the communities they play in. Players are required to do 10 hours of community service during the season, but most do many more.

Marauders Reward Commitment to Reading

Enjoy the summer with books, baseball and pizza

Bradenton-MaraudersThe 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.

Manatee-Cnty-SchoolsEach 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.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Night set for May 18th

Post-game concert provided by the Black Honkeys

The Clearwater Threshers are proud to bring back Prostate Cancer Awareness Night on Friday, May 18. The team will once again be wearing special blue jerseys, many of which will be available for purchase in a silent auction during the game.

Additionally, the first 1,000 guests through the gates for the 6:30pm matchup versus Jupiter will receive a special blue Threshers hat sponsored by First Priority. Gates open at 5:30pm.

After the game is over, winning bidders of the auction will be able to meet the player on-field and have them sign the jersey. Proceeds will go to the Morton Plant Mease Foundation and the Ed Randall “Bat for the Cure” program, as we work together to help stop prostate cancer in its tracks.

Once the auction and jersey presentations are complete, everyone in attendance is invited to take part in a special concert brought to you by the Black Honkeys!

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

Pirates Extending Spring Training Players Go Bowling For Great Cause!

Pirates Extended Spring Training players partnered with The Moyer Foundation at its 1st Annual Celebrity Rock n’ Bowl Charity Bowling Tournament on May 7th, 2011.

Proceeds from the bowling tournament benefit Camp Mariposa, a program designed to help meet the needs of children and teens facing the difficult challenges associated with having an addicted or co-dependent family member. Along with the bowling tournament the celebrities and guests had an opportunity to help the Moyer Foundation through a live auction.

Pirates Extended Spring Training players participated in bowling tournament.

Bradenton Marauders Education Day

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.

Students cheering on the Marauders!
Teachers dancing for their dessert!

Lakeland Flying Tigers Raise Money for Mary Kay Foundation

The Lakeland Flying Tigers Pink in the Park Night on April 16 at Joker Marchant Stadium helped the Mary Kay Foundation raise over $6,000 for the 2nd annual event. The Mary Kay Foundation proudly supports research dedicated to finding cures for cancers that affect women and programs committed to ending domestic violence.

Flying Tiger players and coaches wore pink jerseys during the game and fans had the opportunity to take the jersey off the back of their favorite player after the game.

There was a pre-game cancer survivor parade as well as a pink Cadillac parade on the field. Even the post-game fireworks show had bursts of pink. The event was a great success helping raise awareness and funds for the Mary Kay Foundation.

Tony Plagman gives the “shirt off his back” following the game.

Grace Church Forms Double Play Combo with the Fort Myers Miracle

The Fort Myers Miracle Professional Baseball Club teamed up with Grace Church to provide toys this Holiday season for the less fortunate. The Miracle donated hats, baseballs, shirts, blankets and jackets, while Grace Church distributed the items to those in need.
We are thrilled with the donation that the Miracle Baseball Club made to our Christmas Gift Giveaway. We were able to assist over 100 children with Christmas gifts, and the Club’s huge donation served as a way for us not to have to turn anyone away, there were gifts for everyone, even those who hadn’t signed up in advance,” said Pastor Arlene Jackson.

“The Miracle are happy to support charitable organizations that positively impact our community,” said Miracle General Manager Steve Gliner.
Grace Church is located in downtown Fort Myers. The campus during the past month, collected toys that were given away to needy families on Christmas Eve.

Grace Church at 2415 Grand Avenue, Fort Myers, is dedicated to serving and forming relationships with the local neighborhood and offers a free meal and worship service every Wednesday night as well as free Sunday morning breakfast before and during their two worship services at 10 & 11:30am. They are also open to partnerships with other organizations to provide meals, clothing and other services.

Miracle Lend a Hand for Annual Helping Kids with Cancer Radio-thon

The Kids with Cancer radio-thon is an annual volunteer event for the Fort Myers Miracle. This year on October 15th the Miracle staff answered phones to take donations for the local Children’s Hospital. This year the community donated $147,000 for Barbara’s Friends and their fight against children’s cancer at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

Barbara’s Friends serves as the Children’s Hospital Cancer Fund for The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Their Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Outpatient Center has helped over 3,000 children who have been diagnosed since they’ve opened. Most the families of the children being treated are without insurance, but are never turned away.

This annual Radio-thon is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Barbara’s Friends with all proceeds going to fund programs, equipment and the children’s medical care.

Miracle Helping to Strikeout Breast Cancer

“Pink Pack” Ticket Packages Available Through The End Of October

FortMyersMiracle_2010-10-13

Click here to get the details about the Miracle’s special “Pink Pack” of tickets for 2011, with $15 from each pack sold being donated to Partners For Breast Cancer Care. Act soon as the offer is good through the end of October!
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fort Myers Miracle. Click here to view the original story.

Miracle Donate $6,500 to Help Fight Breast Cancer

On August 21, 2010 the Fort Myers Miracle played host to the Bradenton Marauders on Breast Cancer Awareness night at The Bill. The night consisted of a double header against the Marauders with a silent auction that took place during the second game. 21st Century Oncology sponsored this night with all proceeds from the auctions going to Partners for Breast Cancer Care. The Miracle players wore pink jerseys to signify and promote breast cancer awareness. Following the end of the game, fans that won jerseys in the silent auction were lead onto the field to receive their jersey right from the player’s back. This provided fans with the opportunity to take pictures and have their jersey signed by the Miracle team. Other auction items included golf packages, hotel getaway packages, autographed baseballs, bats and pink bases.

Partners for Breast Cancer Care is a Southwest Florida based non-profit organization that helps qualified men and women with the diagnosis and treatment cost of breast cancer. Helping over 7,000 men and women since their start in 2004, Partners for Breast Cancer Care has become a staple in the Southwest Florida Community and a friend to the Fort Myers Miracle.

The Miracle fans donated over $6,500.00 to Partners for Breast Cancer Care through various silent auction items, raffles and jewelry sales that went on during the game. This was the first year the Miracle teamed up with Partners for Breast Cancer Care and 21st Century Oncology. With the success of this year’s auction the Miracle are excited to see what next year will bring.

Breast Cancer survivors walk before the game
chari Miracle Manager Jake Mauer with the family that won his jersey in the silent auction

T-Yanks Team Up with Metropolitan Ministries

Saks Salon Gives At Risk Children a Back to School Treat

Have you ever lived with constant fear of not knowing where you were going to sleep at night, or where your next meal was going to come from? This fear is a reality for thousands of children within the Tampa Bay area every day.

Metropolitan Ministries, along with the Tampa Yankees, and Saks Fifth Avenue not only put a smile on 35 childrens’ faces today, but gave them all back to school makeovers with a day at the Saks Salon and Spa. The makeovers included haircuts for every child, along with manicures for all the girls. What a treat!

” This is a great experience for the kids to come out and get pampered for the day. They get to feel like a regular kid, prepping, and getting ready to go back to school.” States AnaMaria Mendez Community Relations Coordinator of Metropolitan Ministries.

Saks has hosted this event for the past 13 years. This is the third year that they have actually brought the children into the store instead of doing the event onsite at Metropolitan Ministries. This event put off the reality they are living with for a few hours so they can have a great time just being a kid!

The Tampa Yankees mascot, “Blue”, made an appearance for the big day, and passed out backpacks filled with TY hats, folders, and kidz packs. The kids absolutely loved all of their goodies, and the thrill of taking pictures with “Blue.”

Metropolitan Ministries has been serving the Tampa Bay community for 38 years. There are over 20,000 homeless in the area, many of them being children. Metropolitan Ministries is helping as many as 150 families a day, providing them opportunities to get back on their feet. Last year there were over 200 children that resided with their families at Metropolitan Ministries.

Metropolitan Ministries truly are making a difference within our community and changing many children’s lives one day at a time.

“To care for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless in our community through services that alleviate suffering , promote dignity, and instill self sufficiency… as an expression of the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ.”– Mission Statement of Metropolitan Ministries

Link to original article by Kristin McComas
Tampa Yankees mascot, “Blue”, passed out backpacks filled with TY hats, folders, and kidz packs.