Liberty Bank, Naturals honor Community Heroes

Nominate your heroes for public recognition at a game

Nominate your Community Heroes to be honored at a Naturals game.
Nominate your Community Heroes to be honored at a Naturals game.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals and Liberty Bank of Arkansas are proud to introduce a new program for the 2012 season – Community Heroes – which will seek to honor individuals who have done something excellent for their hometown or organization.

Community Heroes are individuals who have gone above and beyond in terms of community service and helping others. Those that are selected will receive on-field recognition at a 2012 Naturals’ home game, four complimentary Super Premium tickets, and a “Community Heroes” award courtesy of Liberty Bank.

“We believe this will be a great program to honor members of the communities of our region who are doing something great,” said Naturals’ General Manager Eric Edelstein. “We’re happy to partner with Liberty Bank for this effort and look forward to hosting these extraordinary people and their guests at a game.”

If an honoree wants to attend the game accompanied by a large group, the Naturals will make group rates available for advance purchase for groups of 20 or more in addition to the four complimentary tickets.

“Liberty Bank is honored to be a partner in this program. It is consistent with our Community Banking Starts with My Community profile which illustrates how we encourage our employees to volunteer and give back to the communities and cities we serve,” stated Howard Hamilton, Liberty Bank’s NWA Regional President. As a community bank, we are especially proud to be able to recognize individuals in our region who have worked hard to improve the quality of life in the community and the people who live in it.”

Veterans are being sought to help get this program off the ground. For the first night of Community Heroes – on Opening Night on Thursday, April 12th, nine veterans will be selected to take the field along the line as the Naturals’ starting lineup is introduced. To nominate your favorite Veteran, submit your form by no later than April 2nd. All nine of the Veterans selected will receive the four Super Premium tickets and certificate.

A printable form is available at nwanaturals.com for people wishing to make nominations to the Community Heroes program. You may either fax or email it to the Naturals at the numbers listed on the form or drop it off at any of the Northwest Arkansas Liberty Bank locations.

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. The 2012 home opener is Thursday, April 12th against the Corpus Christi Hooks. 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.

ROCKY AIDS IN GIRLS SCOUT’S GOLD AWARD PROGRAM

Surprises Students With Visit To Holy Angels School

Rocky Bluewinkle and director of community relations Kevin Linton performed to the delight of all those in attendance. (Lisa Zimmerman)
Rocky Bluewinkle and director of community relations Kevin Linton performed to the delight of all those in attendance. (Lisa Zimmerman)

Newark, DE – As a prelude to the 2012 Rocky’s Reading Challenge, Blue Rocks mascot Rocky Bluewinkle surprised the kindergarten through fourth grade students at Holy Angels School in Newark. Rocky entertained the children by acting out his favorite story, “Rocky at the Bat”, a varied rendition from the original story, “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.Rocky surprised the students because he was assisting his friend, Hannah Zimmerman, who was working on the completion of her Gold Award project, sponsored by the Girl Scout Council. Her Read-A-Thon project included creating both a bulletin board in the hallway and a reading corner in the library at Holy Angels School. To cap off the project, Zimmerman designed a program similar to Rocky’s Reading Challenge, where kids need to read a minimum of 10 books over a four-week period.

Zimmerman is currently a sophomore at Saint Mark’s High School in Newark and is an alumna of the Holy Angels School.

Information will be coming soon regarding the 2012 Rocky’s Reading Challenge and school visitation. We look forward to having each and every school participate this year. For more information on the program, e-mail communityrelations@bluerocks.com.

For 2012 Blue Rocks ticket information, please call 302-888-BLUE or visit bluerocks.com. Season tickets are on sale now. CLICK HERE for more information on season tickets. CLICK HERE to view a PDF of the Blue Rocks’ 2012 schedule.

Blue Rocks Baseball = AffordaFUNability!
www.bluerocks.com

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Click here to view the original story.

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.

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.

Naturals to Salute Armed Forces

Jun. 3 game will feature expanded discount, pre-game ceremony

SPRINGDALE, AR – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals will honor the commitment of those who have served and continue to serve this country when the team holds Salute to Armed Forces Night on Friday, Jun. 3 when the team takes on the Frisco RoughRiders at Arvest Ballpark.

For this game, the Naturals will expand their military discount to provide buy one, get one free tickets to anyone who presents a valid Military I.D. at the ballpark’s ticket office. This discount is based on availability and cannot be combined with any other ticket offer.

Leading up to the start of the game, the Naturals will recognize the efforts of military members with an on-field ceremony. As is the case on each Friday night, post-game fireworks will follow the evening’s 7:00 contest.

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. The Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website, nwanaturals.com offers fans the opportunity to purchase tickets online and avoid lines at the ticket windows by printing their tickets at home or at the office.

 

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Click here to view the original story.

Hit the Books Contest Winner Announced Wednesday

The Omaha Storm Chasers awarded fourth-grader Gracie Davis this year’s Hit the Books contest winner, in a ceremony at Anderson Grove Elementary Wednesday. Davis was selected by the Storm Chasers community relations staff based on her original bookmark design.

“It was extremely difficult to choose a winner this year with so many great entries,” said Andrea Stava, the club’s Community Relations Manager. “The Omaha metro area has many talented students and we looked at thousands of great submissions. We’re excited to finally announce a winner.”

Hit the Books, the Storm Chasers’ literacy program presented by Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST), has a membership of approximately 15,000 students and 1,000 teachers at 50 Omaha-area schools. Students were asked to submit original drawings for this year’s bookmark, which feature the artwork Gracie submitted this January. Bookmarks will be distributed throughout the city to each student who reaches their initial reading benchmark.

Students will have an opportunity to earn the bookmark, a pencil, a ticket to a Storm Chasers game and a prize pack for completing the program. Davis was presented with a Storm Chasers t-shirt, miniature baseball bat, Storm Chasers logo ball and various other items with the full prize pack at Wednesday’s event.

BLUE ROCKS DONATE NEARLY $750,000 TO LOCAL CAUSES

Team’s Efforts with Marketing Partners & Fans Touch Thousands

The Wilmington Blue Rocks continued their commitment of giving back to the community throughout the 2010 season. The year saw the team, in tandem with its marketing partners and fans, raise $744,721.99 worth of contributions to local charities, schools and community organizations. The sum includes many different types of contributions including cash, tickets and services.

“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 2010 marketing partners and fans that also played a large role in raising these funds.”

Below is a breakdown of the team’s efforts in the community during the campaign:

Cash Donations – $19,115

The Wilmington Blue Rocks were able to donate $19,115 to local organizations in 2010. These donations included Little League sponsorships, specialty game-worn memorabilia auctions, ticket kickbacks, and a sponsorship with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware.

During select games, the Blue Rocks wore special jerseys or hats. That apparel was then auctioned and raffled off during those games. Some items were auctioned off online as well. Below are a few examples:

Boots on the Ground – Blue Rocks wore Camo hats
Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition – Blue Rocks wore Pink jerseys
B+ Foundation – Blue Rocks wore Throwback jerseys

Other organizations that benefited from this included: The Ronnie Williams Foundation, the ING DIRECT Kids Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware, and the Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation.

Ticket Donations – 66,798 tickets, Value – $601,182

Each year, the Blue Rocks are able to accommodate almost every donation request. Through those donation requests, school programs, and by offering bulk tickets to select local organizations (Kind to Kids, USO Delaware, Delaware Police Departments, and more), the Blue Rocks were able to donate almost 67,000 tickets for the 2010 season.

Centerplate Concession Stand Money – $63,149.99

During the 2010 season, local organizations had the opportunity to work the concession stands during Blue Rocks games. In exchange, Centerplate, the concessionaire for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, gave them a portion of the revenue from that game. Throughout the season, over $63,000 was donated to these organizations for their efforts.

Non-Ticket Donations – $21,575

These donations are for extraordinary cases that call for something extra special. Non-ticket donations consist of:

Luxury Suites
Experience Items (first pitches, on-field inclusion)
Autographed Items (bats, baseballs)
Merchandise/Promo Items
Blue Rocks Baseball Camp Scholarships
Used Baseballs/Gloves/Equipment

Advertising Donations – $8,500

During home games, the Blue Rocks allowed select non-profits to promote themselves or upcoming events. This promotion was executed through the use of the RocksVision video board, the public address system, and by providing concourse tables.

Speaking Appearances

The Blue Rocks Front Office donated over 50 hours of their time to speak at community events. These events included speaking to children at local elementary schools, high schools, and colleges about careers in sports, and speaking to local organizations about the Blue Rocks.

Player Appearances

Wilmington Blue Rocks Players made many appearances over the 2010 season. Some of these appearances included visiting the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (at least once a month), a youth detention center, local schools, United Cerebral Palsy’s summer camp, as well as other local summer camps.

Mascot Appearances – $7,500

Rocky Bluewinkle visited 196 community events this year. (Spanned over 240 hours; Value of free or discounted appearances – $7,500).

In-Stadium Fundraising at Frawley Stadium – $23,700

The Blue Rocks opened up Frawley Stadium to select charitable organizations during home games, and enabled them to raise money for their respective causes. Money was raised by selling t-shirts, raffle tickets, and by collecting donations. There have also been a number of check presentations before Blue Rocks games during the 2010 season.

K’s for Kids: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware donated money every time a Blue Rocks pitcher recorded a strikeout at home. At the end of the season, Delaware Guidance Services for Children and Youth, Inc. was presented with a $5,000 check.
Stolen Base Learning Initiative: SBLI Life Insurance donated money for each Blue Rocks stolen base during a home game. At the end of the season, BooksFirst! was presented with a $5,000 check.
Stolen Bases for Happy Faces: New Castle County Chamber of Commerce donated $5,000 to the Bear Babe Ruth Baseball League Miracle League Field project.
B+ Score for the Cure: AstraZeneca donated money for each Blue Rocks run scored at home. At the end of the season, the B+ Foundation was presented with a $5,000 check.

Miscellaneous

Make-A-Wish Night: On Aug. 31, the Blue Rocks hosted Make-A-Wish Night. Wish Kids were treated like stars. They were able to participate in some unique activities before and during the game, and they received lots of autographs and free stuff.
Challenger Little League: The Blue Rocks continued the tradition of working with the Challenger Little League to host its season’s Opening Ceremonies. Each player was introduced individually, and all teams get to play on Judy Johnson Field.
Stadium Tours: The Blue Rocks offer stadium tours for free. Tours are usually 30 minutes long. In 2010, the Blue Rocks hosted 60 tours, many to community organizations with little to no funding.
Toy Drive: The Blue Rocks were once again, able to contribute toys to the Mary Campbell Center. Rocky Claus surprised guests at the Mary Campbell Center’s youth and children holiday party with a sack full of donated toys.

Tackling Childhood Obesity

The Wilmington Blue Rocks are committed to tackling the epidemic of childhood obesity. To do so, the Blue Rocks have partnered with local programs like Nemours Health and Prevention Services, Titus Sports Academy (CHAMPIONS program), and Girls on the Run. Through these partnerships the Blue Rocks have been able to reward kids who participate in health/fitness-related extracurricular activities.

One of the many visits by Blue Rocks players and team mascot Rocky Bluewinkle to A.I. duPont Hospital included (left-to-right): Rocky, Ivor Hodgson, Buddy Baumann, Barry Bowden, Adrian Ortiz. (Photo by Dave Arthur)

“Pack the Park” Charity Program Expands for 2010

Once again this season Mondays at Arvest Ballpark will feature our popular community outreach initiative called “Pack the Park For Charity” as several different non-profit service agencies will enjoy the opportunity to raise funds and awareness for their specific cause. Each non-profit organization will generate revenue through the sale of discounted Naturals tickets for their specific game. This season the program will extend to Wednesday night games during the summer.

The selected charities will sell six dollar reserved tickets to a Naturals Monday or Wednesday home game, with a different major charity pre-selected for each Monday or Wednesday. The normal reserved ticket price is eight dollars. Three dollars per ticket sold will be given back to the charity. Supporters of the particular charity can also order tickets online or at the ticket window with a special unique codeword supplied to the charity to facilitate such sales. The more people “in the house” at Arvest Ballpark each Monday or Wednesday – the more revenue generated for the worthwhile cause.

The charities with their respective home games and pertinent contact information for the organizations are listed below:

5/17/2010: ALS Asscociation (Danielle Wood, 479-621-8700)
5/24/2010: The Jones Center (Jake Fout, 479-756-8090 ext. 2139)
6/2/2010: Miracle League (Peggy McCall, 501-940-3405)
6/7/2010: Kendrick Fincher Foundation (Rhonda Fincher, 479-986-9960)
6/21/2010: Ozark Guidance (Jane Guyton, 479-695-1240)
7/5/2010: Elizabeth Richardson Center (479-872-1800)
7/26/2010: Pagnozzi Charities (Sarah Eldridge, 479-443-2550)
8/4/2010: Children’s House (Ben McClintock, 479-872-7479 ext. 16)
8/9/2010: Single Parent Scholarship Fund (Anne Jackson, 479-750-4971)
8/18/2010: Circle of Life (Jessica Young, 479-750-6632)
8/23/2010: American Cancer Society (Lindsey Bowers, 479-750-2493)
9/2/2010: American Diabetes Association (Lori Jones Branlett, 479-464-4121 ext. 6859)

Each week’s Pack the Park Charity partner will also appear on the Jay and Brock Show on Hot Mix 101.9 the week prior to their date and some may also appear on KNWA News to raise awareness for their cause. To purchase tickets supporting these charities for their respective nights, please contact the charity using the contact information listed above.

For more information about Pack the Park for Charities, please contact Amanda Potter with the Naturals at 927-4900.

ROCKY DELIVERS HOLIDAY CHEER

Mascot Visits Over 100 Hospital Patients, Helps Deliver Gifts

The Blue Rocks’ own Rocky Bluewinkle joined forces with the Delaware State Police on Thursday for a visit to Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children to deliver gifts and holiday cheer. As part of the annual visit for the Delaware State Police, donations included gingerbread houses, stuffed animals, baseballs and more. The all-day delivery saw Rocky & Co. visit more than 100 patients.

Rocky did not make his journey solo. Everyone’s favorite furry pal had help from Delaware state troopers, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, a storm trooper, the Chick-fil-A Cow and Miss Delaware 2009 herself, Heather Lehman. The super squad posed for hundreds of pictures with patients and their families while dropping off goodies to lift their spirits.

While the dream team patrolled Alfred I. DuPont, other Delaware state police troopers also visited hospitals in Kent and Sussex counties. The Blue Rocks made special stops to Alfred I. DuPont monthly during the season with players and Rocky Bluewinkle in tow.

Link to original article by John Sadak

Rocky’s “dream team” spread holiday cheer to over 100 patients at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington. (Dave Arthur)

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)

Royals, Team’s Advertisers and Fans Aid Several Worthy Causes

The Omaha Royals increased their giving to local charities, community organizations and schools during the team’s 2009 season. The Royals, with the help of several of the team’s advertisers and its fans, donated more than $861,000 this season, mostly in the form of tickets and cash. That figure was up almost $40,000 from 2008.

“We continually talk about being engaged in the metro community and 2009 was again proof of our mission,” said Martie Cordaro, Royals Vice President/General Manager. “We are excited about what we have planned for 2010 and hope that new sponsors will join us so we can even further impact the community.”

Two season-long promotions generated over $11,000 in cash for two charities. The “Hurl the Pearl” promotion, presented by Nissan of Omaha and McDonald’s, raised almost $8,200 for the Ronald McDonald House. Werner Enterprises donated $2,870 to PlaySmart through its RBI promotion, in which the Royals’ 2009 presenting sponsor pledged $10 for each Royals RBI at home.

Once again in 2009, the Royals held silent auctions of various specially-designed jerseys and caps – autographed by the players who wore them –  during several home games. On June 6, an auction of baby blue jerseys and caps raised $2,155 for the Nebraska Colon Cancer Screening Program. The Royals wore red caps on June 27, with that auction and a $1 donation for every red item sold at the Royal Treasures Gift Shop netting $1,114 for the ALS Association. The fourth annual Strike Out Breast Cancer Night on August 7 featured an auction of pink jerseys and the sale of pink hats, providing $3,479 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. An auction of Royals black hats on August 28 raised almost $1,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, while a September 3 auction of baseball memorabilia generated over $1,400 toward the team’s $11,000 goal to support the AllPlay Foundation in 2010.

In 2009 the Royals donated thousands of tickets to their home games, with most of them being earned by school children through good work in the classroom. Almost 24,000 students from 74 area schools were encouraged to read books in exchange for tickets to Royals games in the Hit the Books program, which was presented by the Nebraska College Savings Program. Nearly 11,000 students from 70 area schools received tickets to the team’s April 20 game for the 10th annual Cox Communications Home Run for Youth Day. The Royals donated 25,000 Reserved Seat tickets for their August 8 game to the Omaha Public Library’s Summer Reading Program.  10,000 General Admission tickets went to the United Way for that organization to use as a “thank you” gift for their donors.  Also, businesses and season ticket holders donated over 2,800 Royals tickets to Baseball Buddies, with those tickets going to kids who normally wouldn’t be able to attend a game.

The team’s Community Organization of the Night program continued to grow in 2009. Partnering with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the Royals provided over $53,000 worth of advertising, booth space and tickets to 72 non-profit groups and gave them a forum on-field and on the team’s game broadcasts to talk about those organizations’ work in the community.

Royals fans brought more than 2,200 cans and boxes of Our Family Brand food to Sunday home games, with all of it going to the Open Door Mission. In exchange, those fans received more than $15,000 worth of tickets.

The Royals staff, players and mascots were also busy away from the ballpark, with the staff giving more than 400 hours and the players and mascots chipping in over 200 hours to community service and appearances. On June 11 alone, Royals staff members committed more than 50 hours of community service, in honor of the team reaching the 11-million fan milestone earlier in the season. On August 22, a dozen staff members, family, partners from Lovgren Marketing Group and Casey took part in an ALS Walk at Elmwood Park, raising $4,500 in pledges. The team held its annual golf tournament on August 31 at Pacific Springs, raising more than $2,500 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in honor of Royals manager Mike Jirschele’s family.