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.

Midwest League Fines Benefit Caritas, Inc.

Beloit-SnappersThe Beloit Snappers have donated $420.00 to Caritas, Inc. as part of the Midwest League’s On-Field Behavior Policy.

Each season, the Midwest League asks its member teams to select a deserving group or organization in their respective community to receive a portion of the money collected from fines handed out as part of the league On-Field Behavior Policy. Past organizations selected have included Beloit Turner High School Baseball Program, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Beloit Memorial High School Baseball Program, Beloit Youth Hockey Association, Stateline Youth Sports Complex, Rock County Habitat for Humanity and the YMCA’s Partners of Youth Program.

Caritas-Beloit“We are very excited to help Caritas,” stated Snappers General Manager Matt Bosen. “Though no one wants to condone negative behavior on the playing field, to be able to take the fine money and donate it to a program that will put food on so many families’ tables this Thanksgiving, it is a very rewarding program. Through the program, our players learn how to take a negative experience and learn from it. The lessons they learn benefit their personal development and the greater good of the community.”

This annual donation is just one of the many ways the Snappers and Midwest League Teams make efforts to give back to their communities. The Snappers are very involved in the Stateline Community, donating to hundreds of different causes each and every year.

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

Cats Receive Honor from the Friendship Service Center

ROCK CATS RECEIVE HONOR FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE

left to right: Steve Kunsey (Rock Cats), Amy Helbling (Rock Cats), Jason Howey (Okay Industries), and Rocky the Rock Cat
left to right: Steve Kunsey (Rock Cats), Amy Helbling (Rock Cats), Jason Howey (Okay Industries), and Rocky the Rock Cat
left to right: Steve Kunsey (Rock Cats), Pam Vatti (Liberty Bank), Rocky the Rock Cat, Amy Helbling (Rock Cats)
left to right: Steve Kunsey (Rock Cats), Pam Vatti (Liberty Bank), Rocky the Rock Cat, Amy Helbling (Rock Cats)

The Friendship Service Center of New Britain – a decades-old community-based organization dedicated to assisting the area’s poor and disadvantaged – took time at its 43rd Annual Meeting yesterday to recognize the Rock Cats as their “2011 Business of the Year.” The New Britain franchise enjoys a proud history of supporting worthy community causes and, as such, has been pleased to partner with the Friendship Service Center for several years.

Located on Arch Street, the Center provides a range of essential community living services, including emergency shelters and transitional and permanent housing, to families in need.  Ms. Ellen Perkins Simpson serves as the organization’s Executive Director.

Assistance to the Center from the Rock Cats has come in many different forms including food and clothing donations, the provision of complimentary tickets to ball games, and the delivery of Thanksgiving Dinners and other Holiday gifts to families identified by FSC.

Another of the Rock Cats’ fabulous sponsors – Liberty Bank – was also present at yesterday’s event and took the occasion to present the Friendship Service Center with a check for $3,700! As a valued partner of the Rock Cats, Liberty Bank set aside $100 each time a New Britain player blasted a home run during the 2011 Season. As the ‘Cats swatted 37 round ‘trippers, Connecticut’s oldest mutual bank put together a kitty of $3,700 – and yesterday generously donated the entire amount to FSC!  What a great gesture – and a wonderful cause. Bravo to all parties!

By the way, Liberty Bank noted that they plan to open their 44th branch location at 747 Farmington Avenue in New Britain in the Spring. Maybe some of next year’s home runs will bounce off their new roof!
This article originally appeared on the official website of the New Britain Rock Cats. Click here to view the original story.

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

Miracle Game Day Volunteer Awarded Scholarship

The Fort Myers Miracle are proud to announce that Rebecca Garcia has been awarded the Florida Marlins / Florida State League scholarship. Each year the Miracle and the 11 other teams in the Florida State League partner with the Florida Marlins and award one deserving person from each club a $1,500 educational scholarship.

Garcia, a Fort Lauderdale native, is currently a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University and slated to graduate in December, with a degree in Sports Management and Marketing. She is in her first summer as a game day volunteer with the Miracle, learning the finer points of the team’s extensive game day operations. She also has been very active in the nightly operation of the team’s merchandise shop.

“Rebecca is a fine representative of our strong game day volunteer group this season. She has taken on many roles and has been eager to learn about the business side of minor league baseball,” said Miracle General Manager Steve Gliner. “We feel she is a deserving recipient and I know she will use it to further her major.”

The Florida Marlins have sponsored the program with the Florida State League the past 11 years through their Community Foundation and the Executive Director, Nancy Olson. The foundation has now contributed $95,000 to this program.

The award is based both on financial need and grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be a member of the team’s gameday operations team, an employee of, or the child or grandchild of an employee of the participating club during the 2010 Florida State League Season, and must be at least a high school junior by the 2010 Fall Term.

“I have learned so much this summer. I can’t even begin to describe my experience and all the knowledge I have gained from the Miracle staff”, said Garcia.

League President Chuck Murphy stated; “This program is one of the best things we do in this League and I congratulate the General Managers on their dedication and emphasis in administering this program. The purpose of the program is to send a message that an education is key to success in life.”

Miracle Roll Sleeves Up to Help Community

Miracle Cares is a community outreach program that was founded in the Fall of 2008. The Fort Myers Miracle front office staff recognized the need for volunteers in the community and took it upon themselves to be those people. Each month the Miracle volunteer some of their work time to helping local organizations in need. This year organizations such as the CCMI soup kitchen, Ronald McDonald House and Salvation Army were assisted in there drive for helping others.

Thursday, April 15th the Miracle pushed up their sleeves and went to work in the kitchen of the Ronald McDonald house cooking some ballpark favorites for dinner. “It’s something simple for us to do and yet the families have been very appreciative” says General Manager, Steve Gliner.  The Miracle lent a hand at the local soup kitchen earlier this year, serving over a hundred people within just a couple hours.

The team turned full circle when they visited the Children’s Hospital on April 26th. The visit consisted of stopping at the Oncology/Hematology, Intensive Care and Surgical units. Children’s faces lit up with joy seeing professional ball players walk into their room to visit. Some kids jumped right into their arms, while others took a little time to warm up to. The kids took to the players right away and began cracking jokes and giving high fives. At the end of the day the kids were just kids, all illnesses momentarily aside.

Miracle Players from left: Tony Davis, Chris Herrmann, Dan Rohlfing, Brad Tippett