United Way Pancake Breakfast

United Way of Central Oklahoma, the Central Oklahoma Combined Federal Campaign, the State Charitable Campaign, and the Heart of the City Campaign officially began their 2011 fundraising campaigns Friday, September 9 at a pancake breakfast at RedHawks Field at Bricktown.

At the morning event, Campaign Chair, Martha Burger, announced a fundraising goal of $21.2 million before a crowd of more than 850. The community campaign runs September 9 through November 18, 2011.

That evening, RedHawks Field at Bricktown held a movie night for the United Way of Central Oklahoma donors, volunteers, and employees. Guests enjoyed popcorn, snacks, and drinks while watching a movie from the outfield grass.

Guests enjoying pancakes cooked by local celebrities and public figures.

‘Dogs Present Over $1,200 Donation to Winwood Farm Home for Children

Offering generated from three separate Party at the Joe events over course of season

Charleston-RiverDogsThanks to the Charleston RiverDogs and Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, fans were able to enjoy the great atmosphere of The Joe with the club on the road. Through three separate Party at the Joe events, Lowcountry residents savored great drink specials and heard from some of the best local musicians in the area.

While relishing in those good times, those in attendance also lent a hand to the Winwood Farm Home for Children, an Awendaw based center which provides therapeutic residential services to hundreds of abused and neglected children.

During Monday night’s game with the Asheville Tourists, RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols and Director of Special Events Melissa Azevedo presented a donation worth $1,272 to representatives from Winwood Farm.

WIndwood-Family-Services-logo“All three of our Party at the Joe events were well-received by our fans, and we are thrilled to help Winwood Farm in their mission to provide a safe haven for children in need,” said Echols.

Winwood Farm Home for Children has been restoring hope to children for more than 25 years, since 1985. In that time, staff at Winwood has afforded hurting children a reason to smile, stand tall, and laugh while simply being a kid.

CSC Winwood Farm Presentation 2011

Ports Hit Cancer out of the Park on Pink Night

Stockton-PortsThe Stockton Ports held their fifth annual breast cancer awareness night on August 26 at Banner Island Ballpark. All proceeds from the night benefited St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Breast Health Services. On this night, the Ports raised close to $5,000, bringing the total monies raised in five seasons to just over $25,000.

In 2010, Pink Night hit close to home with the Stockton Ports family when Becki Scarsone, wife of then manager Steve Scarsone, was battling through the disease. Today Becki is doing great and is cancer free.

Prior to the game against the Inland Empire 66’ers, the Ports hosted the second annual “Bombs 4 Bombs Home-Run-a-thon” presented by Turner Construction. The Ports recruited 24 participants who were eager to hit home runs to help fight breast cancer. Each softball that crossed the pink line in the outfield was counted as a home run. Fans were encouraged to make pledges to support the event. This year 73 home runs were hit, compared to the 48 hit in 2010. With the home run event alone, close to $500 was raised.

Stockton-Pink-ribbonThe roster for the event included Ports manager Webster Garrison, hitting coach Brian McArn, pitching coach Craig Lefferts, athletic trainer Nate Brooks, strength coach Chris Borgard, clubhouse manager Vic Zapien, Thunder Hockey front office staff, Ports front office staff, Port City Pirates Basketball head coach Wallace Bryant, Mega 100 representative Christie James, Sacramento Kings announcer Scott Moak, Eddie Maria from the Stockton Fire Auxiliary, California Cougars Soccer player Chris Handsor, DJ Walker from KAT Country, Norma DePauli from St. Joseph’s Medical Center, former San Francisco Giant Patrick Dobson, and the coaching staff from Inland Empire.

“Pink Night was such a success in 2010, so I had a lot of work ahead of me for the event this season!” said Community Relations Manager Margaret Sacchet. “Over all, the event went really well. We had a lot of great vendors out at the ballpark and a lot of people willing to donate to a great cause. The home run contest was a lot of fun and St. Joseph’s was happy at the end of the night, and that is what really counts.”

St-Josephs-Medical-Center-StocktonNot only did $1 from every ticket sold that night go to St. Josephs, but the Ports had a number of events going on through out the ballpark to help raise as much money as possible. Fans had the opportunity to bid on the specialty pink pinstriped jerseys being worn by the players, there was a 50/50 raffle, a player memorabilia raffle, specialty pink T-shirt sales, pink baseball sales for the Pink Wall, and KAT Country even raffled off tickets to an upcoming Taylor Swift concert. The popular ‘How Ya Bean’ kiosk also contributed by donating $1 for every pink Volcano drink sold that evening.

Before the game between the Ports and the 66’ers even began, nine courageous breast cancer survivors took the field with our players for the national anthem as Pink Ports. Each woman got to stand with a favorite player through the duration of the opening ceremony.

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A group of courageous cancer survivors joined the Ports player on the field as Pink Ports during the national anthem.

 

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From left to right, Ports hitting coach Brian McArn, athletic trainer Nate Brooks, pitching coach Craig Lefferts, manager Webster Garrison, and strength coach Chris Borgard all participated in the pre-game “Bombs 4 Bombs Home-Run-a-thon” presented by Turner Construction.

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Community Relations Manager Margaret Sacchet lost a bet with on-field MC Hot Rod & was pied in the face for charity in front of the Pink Night crowd.

 

 

Nick Adenhart Night raises more than $6,000

The Hagerstown Suns are pleased to announce that more than $6,000 was raised on Nick Adenhart Night at Municipal Stadium Tuesday. These proceeds from the silent auction and a portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Nick Adenhart Memorial Fund.

Adenhart grew up in the Hagerstown community and was a well-known athlete throughout the region before he reached the national stage with the Angels. In 2009, he was killed in an automobile accident. After his passing, a community foundation that provides funds for youth baseball organizations was established in his memory.

The Nick Adenhart Memorial Fund provides financial support to nonprofit youth baseball organizations that support the growth of the individual, the value of teamwork and the advancement of the game in their community.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Hagerstown Suns.  Click here to see the original story.

Mystery Ball Sale Fundraiser Sunday August 28

Proceeds benefit Luke Holko

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Niles, Ohio – The Scrappers are hosting a Mystery Ball Sale Fundraiser for Luke Holko on Sunday, August 28. The sale begins once the gates open and is first come first served.

The Mystery Ball Sale includes baseballs autographed by:

  • Fausto Carmona of the Cleveland Indians
  • The Columbus Clippers and Akron Aeros
  • John Grabow of the Chicago Cubs
  • Brandon Wood of the Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Plus many more!

Additionally, the Scrappers are donating half of the proceeds from ticket purchased with this flyer to the Luke Holko Fund.

Sunday, August 28 is also Wrestling Night featuring a post-game wrestling event featuring the Necro Butcher, Al Snow, “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, and Mick Foley.

For more information, call the Scrappers front office at (330) 505-0000 or email info@mvscrappers.com.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Click here to view the original story.

Timber Rattlers Celebrate Christmas in July

On July 16th, 2011, Time Warner Cable Field was morphed into the North Pole! There was snow on the ground, elves singing Christmas songs, and a festive spirit all around – it was…Christmas in July!

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers went all out for this theme night; inviting fans and all employees to dress in Christmas attire. The team also invited the Salvation Army to bring their red kettles and ring their bells for donations from fans. In addition to that, we encouraged fans to bring in baked goods for our “Bake Sale” where all proceeds would go to the Salvation Army. All fans that donated an item received our Scooter Versus Snowman bobblehead; the team thought it was rather appropriate. The kettles combined with the bake sale raised an astounding $525 for the Salvation Army!

The team had an usher volunteer to dress up and act as Santa Claus while his daughter volunteered to be Mrs. Claus. A security guard was able to provide the team with a 13 foot Christmas tree to display by our front entrance. Our customer service manager brought in décor for the stadium, lights for the Christmas tree, and costumes for some of the staff to wear.

We also changed up some of our on-field promotions and geared them towards the Christmas theme – rather than Build-A-Burger we had Decorate-A-Tree. Instead of the Mohican North Star Shot we had the Mohican North Star Snowball Shot. And finally, throughout the game, children were allowed to write “letters to the North Pole.” Each child that wrote to Santa received a letter back as well as a ticket voucher for a future game

Annual Community Events Raise Money for Ports Anchor Fund

Two very popular events for the Stockton Ports were recently held at Banner Island Ballpark. Root Beer Float Day was held on Sunday, July 10.  Not only did fans get to cool down with “bottomless” root beer floats on a hot day, but the proceeds from the event went towards the Ports Anchor Fund, which in turn helps local youth centers and youth sports.

The event was sponsored by Metro PCS and all of the root beer and ice cream was generously donated by Sunnyside Farms and Super Store Industries. Metro PCS also donated all of the mugs used for the event.

Root Beer Float Day also gives fans the opportunity to interact with their favorite Ports players. Ports pitchers Scott Deal, Mike Hart, Josh Lansford, and Rob Gilliam helped out with the event by scooping ice cream and pouring root beer for eager fans. Alongside the players, the Ports had help form radio DJ Lucas from KWIN, Dinger from the Sacramento River Cats, several Sunnyside Farms employees, and of course Splash got in on the fun as well.

The Ports were also host to two sessions of a youth baseball camp. Youth camp serves a number of purposes. First, all proceeds from the camp go to the Ports Anchor Fund. Camp also gives kids, boys and girls alike, ages 5-13 the chance to learn from the pros. Campers are able to get up close and personal with the Ports players and coaches. Youth camp is all about a fun experience for the kids, but it is also organized each year to teach young kids the fundamentals of baseball. Kids look up to the Ports players, so they always enjoy learning a few new skills from them.

Session one of baseball camp was held on June 17 & 18 and session two on July 16 & 17, both from 9 AM to 2 PM. Campers started the day with a warm-up with Ports Strength and Conditioning coach Chris Borgard. After the warm-up, the kids were broken up in to six different groups, according to age. Each station was staffed with a Ports player and the kids were taught a different skill at each one. Ports Manager Webster Garrison & Pitching Coach Craig Lefferts roamed through out each station to ensure the camp ran smoothly.

Campers learned all about outfield throwing, base running, hitting, in field throwing, and pitching. The campers also got a special treat with a visit to the clubhouse. A favorite of camp was the end-of-the-day game that they played with the Ports players. The group was divided into four different teams. Two teams in left field, two in right. Each camper had a chance at bat as well as in the outfield.

Joining Webster Garrison, Craig Lefferts and Chris Borgard was Ports Hitting Coach Brian McArn. Position players Connor Crumbliss, Leonardo Gil, Ryan Lipkin, Anthony Aliotti, Michael Choice, Rashun Dixon, and pitchers Jose Guzman, AJ Huttenlocker, Connor Hoehn, Scott Deal, and Murphy Smith all helped out.

Not only did the campers receive detailed instruction and advice from the players, they were also given a camp T-shirt, were entered in a raffle to win prizes, were given a free Ports ticket, took part in our Jr. Ports program, and were provided lunch each day of camp by Subway and Pizza Guys.

If you would like any information on any of these events, or would like to donate to the Anchor Fund, please contact Community Relations Manager Margaret Sacchet at (209) 644-1900 or msacchet@stocktonports.com.

Ports pitchers Scott Deal & Mike Hart scoop ice cream and pour root beer for fans.
Ports coaches, along with former Oakland A Rickey Henderson, and University of the Pacific baseball coaches all participating in the Home-Run-a-thon.

Celebrating a Centennial of Naval Aviation

On July 9 we celebrated the Centennial of Naval Aviation at Harbor Park. Wings Over America is a non-profit scholarship foundation that raises money for children of pilots, the crew, and mechanics of air wings to apply for scholarships for there children to attend college. They raised over $1800 for the foundation that night by selling tickets.

Two helicopters also participated in the event. The first one was a helo that hovered at about 30 feet above centerfield and dropped six Navy Seals out of it with the game ball being brought in to Rear Admiral Ted Branch. The second helicopter flew over with the American Flag for the National Anthem and one of the navy gentleman sang the National Anthem.

During the seventh inning stretch we had all the crew and seals back to the field to be honored for volunteering there time that night.It was a great night all around and also helped a worthy cause raise money and awareness at Harbor Park.

HSC-26 & Navy Seals wow the crowd while repelling out of the plane! (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan McLearnon)
Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic Rear Adm. Ted Branch throws the Ceremonial First Pitch. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan McLearnon)
Honoring the crew from the helicopter squadrons at the 7th inning stretch!

Strike Out ALS!

For several years, the Staten Island Yankees have partnered with the ALS Foundation Greater New York Chapter to raise awareness and money for the battle against ALS.

Along with promoting nearby Walks to Defeat ALS, Staten Island Yankees employees participated in a 2011 Walk to Defeat ALS along the West Side Highway in Manhattan. An appearance by Scooter the Holy Cow added to the pre-walk entertainment.

On July 4th, the Staten Island Yankees partnered with Primary Care Ambulance to help Strike Out ALS. For the game on July 4, Primary Care Ambulance donated $50 to the ALS Foundation for every strikeout pitched by a Staten Island Yankees pitcher. The eight strikeouts and $400 were great, but Primary Care Ambulance decided to pitch in an additional $100. The partnership between PCA and the ALS Foundation was expanded when PCA contributed another $250 to the Staten Island Yankees Kids’ Night Out program to further benefit the ALS Foundation.

For the Baby Bombers’ ongoing support, the ALS Foundation presented the Staten Island Yankees with a Certificate of Appreciation. The Baby Bombers are proud to continue supporting the fight against ALS, a disease very close to the Yankee family.

Representatives from the ALS Association present the Staten Island Yankees with a certificate of appreciation at Richmond County Bank Ballpark on July 4, 2011.

‘Riders Classic Raises Over $23,000 for RoughRiders Foundation

The RoughRiders Foundation hosted the third annual ‘Riders Classic presented by Tye Williams Financial Services, Smashburger and DC Rightside, LLC on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 at The Golf Club at Frisco Lakes in Frisco, TX. The golf tournament raised over $23,000 for the RoughRiders Foundation through sponsorships, registrations, a silent auction and raffle and mulligan sales.

Boxed lunches were donated by Chick-fil-A at Preston Road and Highway 121, and dinner was donated and catered by Chuy’s on the Tollway.

27 foursomes competed in the ‘Riders Classic; 12 of which included RoughRiders pitchers Justin Miller, Richard Bleier, Jake Brigham, Ben Snyder, Corey Young, and Tyler Tufts. Other RoughRiders who participated were infielders Davis Stoneburner and Tom Mendonca, as well as pitching coach, Jeff Andrews.

“The RoughRiders are extremely thankful to have such fantastic charitable support from our players, sponsors, suite holders and season ticket holders,” commented Michael Davidow, Director of the RoughRiders Foundation. “By sponsoring this tournament and registering to golf, we raised a significant amount of money for our foundation partners and community programs.”

In 2011, the RoughRiders Foundation has partnered with Frisco Family Services, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County and the Miracle League of Frisco. The money raised from the 2011 ‘Riders Classic will help fund these partners as well as the RoughRiders Foundation’s scholarship and grant donation programs.

United Healthcare’s foursome pauses for a quick picture. Photos by Falcon Photography

Indianapolis Indians Lend a Helping Glove

The Indianapolis Indians are giving away $10,000 in celebration of 125 consecutive years of professional baseball in Indianapolis. The program entitled “Lend a Helping Glove” has five local charities competing for a $10,000 grand prize.

Given a blank slate on a 5 foot fiberglass baseball glove, charities were asked to decorate their glove and put it on display in Indianapolis. Through a text vote, online vote and a celebrity panel vote, a winner will be decided. Voting began on June 3rd and ends at 11:59 PM EDT on August 19th. The winner will be announced at the Indians game on Friday, September 2nd versus Louisville.

Participating charities include the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, Boys Scouts of America, CICOA, Indy Reads and the Salvation Army Indiana.

For more information on the program, visit www.lendahelpingglove.com.

Glove for the Salvation Army of Indiana.
Glove for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis.
Glove for CICOA.

Groups raise over $66,000 with Naturals

55 schools and local organizations have participated

Seat your group all together and raise money at a Naturals game.
Seat your group all together and raise money at a Naturals game.

SPRINGDALE, AR – The Naturals, through ticket fundraising programs, have helped local groups raise over $66,000 during the first two months of the baseball season.

Through the first 23 home games of the 2011 Naturals baseball season, 55 local groups comprised of school groups, church groups, and other local organizations have raised $66,462 by coming out to Naturals games and selling tickets for the same game to friends and family members.

Several of these groups have also partaken in activities on the field such as playing the National Anthem, tours of the ballpark, and playing pre-game performances.

The average ticket fundraiser group has raised $1208 with the Naturals this season. 45 of the 55 participating groups raised at least $800 dollars (by selling 200 or more tickets). The total money raised through these programs is already $7,000 more than the money raised all of last season, including playoffs.

“At our core we are a service organization, and we want to help our entire community be successful,” said Eric Edelstein, Naturals General Manager. “The dollars raised has far exceeded our expectations, and we can’t wait to see these numbers grow through the remainder of our season.”

The Naturals currently have availability to help groups raise money all summer long on Sunday through Thursday home games following the July 4th holiday weekend. For more information about fundraiser groups as well as other group offerings, visit nwanaturals.com or call 479-927-4900.

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.

Mississippi Braves and Bass Pro Shops Flood Relief Efforts

The Mississippi Braves along with Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Marine, and Uncle Bucks Grills have joined forces to aid the victims of the Mississippi River Floods.

On Monday, May 30, 2011, The Braves and Bass Pro Shops presented a $5,000 check to The Salvation Army to help jump start the relief effort. Furthermore, prominent members of the community such as Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner, Vice President of Business Development for MiLB Tina Gust, and Pearl Mayor Brad Rogers came to show their support and encouragement during this tragic time. The Salvation Army’s Jackson, MS Area Coordinator/Corps Officer Captain Ken Chapman, U.S. Congressman Gregg Harper, Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, MS State Representative Ray Rogers, and MS State Senator Dean Kirby also attended the pre-game ceremony.

The Braves further aided the cause by donating 100% of the revenue generated by a special silent auction during the game. The silent auction featured various items for fans to bid on, such as autographed baseballs, bats, photos, and jerseys of various Braves players.

As a further way of providing assistance, the M-Braves encouraged fans to donate items such as clothing, shoes, water, non-perishable food items, and personal hygiene items to The Salvation Army. The Braves did so by providing fans who donated items to the cause a 50 percent discount on field seat tickets. Plus, the first 500 fans that donated items to the relief effort received their choice of a free Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann or Jeff Francoeur 8 x 10 color photo.

The Braves are still encouraging fans to continue to donate items for the relief effort, and drop them off at Trustmark Park throughout the year.

Check presentation to The Salvation Army. (From left to Right: General Manager of Bass Pro Shops Patrick Renegar, Jackson, MS Area Coordinator/Corps Officer Captain Ken Chapman, and General Manager of the Mississippi Braves Steve DeSalvo
General Manager Steve DeSalvo helping load the donated items onto the Salvation Army Truck.

Tour de Habitat

OremOwlz_2011-06-02

The Orem Owlz and Habitat for Humanity of Utah County will be teaming up on Saturday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. for the Third Annual Tour de Habitat, Lakes to Peaks Bicycle Ride. Owlz mascots Hootz and Holly will be the guests of honor to kick off the Family Ride which will be part of the pre-parade activity for the Orem Summerfest. Those participating in the Family Ride will receive reserved seating for parade viewing later that evening, an event t-shirt, and Owlz 2011 game tickets. For more details and to register please visit www.habitatuc.org/events/tour-de-habitat.html.
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Orem Owlz. Click here to view the original story.

The Staten Island Yankees Host the First Annual Touch-A-Truck Event

The Staten Island Yankees helped support the Staten Island Children’s Campaign by hosting a fundraising event on May 22, 2011. The fundraiser was held both inside and outside of Richmond County Bank Ballpark, gathering the community together in an effort to support the local non-profit organizations of Staten Island.

Touch-A-Truck events take place throughout the country and allow children to participate in a fun-filled day of exploring and learning about their favorite trucks and other vehicles. Guests were allowed to climb inside, honk the horns, sit in the passenger seat, and take pictures with the twenty plus trucks that were located in the parking lot. While the trucks and majority of the event took place in the parking lot, other events such as face painting, tattoos, coloring, tug-of-war, water balloon toss, and the excitement of inflatable’s were held on the field and were enjoyed by kids of all ages.

The Staten Island Children’s Campaign is a charitable trust sponsored by the Staten Island Advance to raise funds for 17 non-profit organizations that provide educational, health, recreational, and counseling services to 60,000 underprivileged children on Staten Island.

Every dollar raised by the campaign is equally distributed among the following groups: American Cancer Society of Staten Island, Catholic Youth Organization, Camelot Counseling Center, Children’s Aid Society-Goodhue Center, Community Resources, Geller House-Jewish Board of Family & Children Services, Grace Foundation, Have a Heart Foundation, Jewish Community Center, the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mt. Loretto, Project Hospitality; Seamen’s Society for Children and Families, Staten Island Children’s Museum, Staten Island Mental Health Society, the YMCA, United Activities Unlimited, and the Universal Temple of the Arts.

Over 2,300 tickets were sold for the First Annual Touch-A-Truck event, raising over $17,000 for the Staten Island Children’s Campaign. The Staten Island Yankees would like to thank the following companies for their support: The Staten Island Advance, AFL-CIO, Spectra Energy, Manfredi Auto Group, Verizon, Atlantic Express, Scaran Heating, Staten Island Towing and all of the non-profit organizations that are part of the Staten Island Children’s campaign. We are looking forward to next year’s event!

Kids of all ages enjoyed the trucks and activities at the First Annual Touch-A-Truck event.