Record $43,313 Raised for Charity at Whitecaps Winter Banquet

The West Michigan Whitecaps’ 17th annual Winter Baseball Banquet raised a record $43,313 for charity Wednesday night at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. The event raised funds for the Whitecaps RBI/YMCA Inner-City Youth Baseball and Softball Program and the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities. The $43,313 raised brings the grand total of funds raised for charity through the winter banquets over the past 17 years to more than $461,000.

The total raised edged out the funds raised for charity at the 2007 banquet, when nearly 1,000 attended to see Tigers manager Jim Leyland and a caravan of Tigers stars fresh off their World Series appearance three months prior.

Tigers CEO, President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski was the featured speaker at the event. Other special guest speakers were Whitecaps’ 2011 manager Ernie Young, former Whitecaps and current Tigers players Will Rhymes and Brennan Boesch.

WOOD TV 8’s Jack Doles announced the 2011 inductees into the Whitecaps Hall of Fame; they are 2003 Whitecaps and current Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya, 1994-1998 Whitecaps and current Tigers Head Groundskeeper Heather Nabozny and 1996 Whitecaps and current Cincinnati Reds catcher Ramon Hernandez. Zumaya and Nabozny were both present to accept their awards for the induction.

Silent and live auctions of sports memorabilia and other items were the primary source of fundraising at the event. The top item of the night was the use of Dave Dombrowski’s personal luxury suite for a Tigers game (donated by the Tigers Foundation), which sold for $3,800 in the live auction. Dombrowski then graciously threw in a second suite at the same price to the other high bidder for another $3,800. Other top live auction items were a spring training trip for two, including airfare, four nights in a hotel and tickets to three Tigers games ($3,500); a Windy City Adventure for four including Cubs tickets, an on-field photo opportunity at Wrigley Field and four VIP tickets to Shedd Aquarium ($3,100) donated by the Cubs and Shedd Aquarium; and a World Series package that includes two tickets to games 3 and 4 with hotel ($2,500).

Top silent auction items included three innings on the air on a Whitecaps radio game broadcast ($1,200), a Kirk Gibson autographed jersey ($999) donated by the Tigers Foundation, the use of a Whitecaps suite for a game with a $100 catering credit ($600) and two Tiger Stadium seats ($550) donated by Jeff Spurrier.
Two raffles, including one that included a 40-inch TV and a Microsoft XBox with Kinect system, raised a total of $5,795.

Local Publication Cites RiverDogs with Philanthropy Award

While the sound of bats cracking and the scent of hot dogs grilling may make Charleston RiverDogs fans smile while at The Joe, those same fans have even more of a reason to support the franchise while fancying even bigger smiles when the RiverDogs engage in any of their many community service activities,

Because of the organization’s positive impact in the community, the RiverDogs will be the 2010 recipient of the Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist for the Charleston Region Award, as provided by the Charleston Regional Business Journal.

The citation will be presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals on National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 18 at the Charleston Marriot on Lockwood Blvd. with RiverDogs team president Mike Veeck accepting the award on the team’s behalf.

“We, at the RiverDogs, do things for the right reasons and our involvement in the local community is the right thing to do,” said RiverDogs general manager Dave Echols, who will be at the event. “We are constantly reminded by the first part of our name that Charleston as a community is important to us, and we keep that in the forefront of our minds every day. We’re active in the area for a multitude of reasons; the primary being that we are positioned to help and at the end of the day, we do.”

In their most recent issue, the Charleston Regional Business Journal cites the many involvements to the community that the RiverDogs involve themselves in throughout the calendar year. When not in season, the administrative staff closes the office for a day and, as a group, donates time and energy to a worthy cause, like Habitat for Humanity.

MUSC’s Storm Eye Institute is the RiverDogs’ primary charity, due in part to Veeck’s daughter, Rebecca, suffering from a retinitis pigmentosa, a visionary disorder that left the personable teenager legally blind. However, not all of the club’s efforts are devoted toward fighting blindness.

The RiverDogs, the Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are deeply involved with the RBI Program (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) and the Boys & Girls Club by providing assistance with equipment and travel, while team members help with practices.

Additionally, the organization made a huge commitment to Charleston County Schools. They helped create a reading and fitness program for third graders, and participate in a sports and entertainment academy in the high schools to expose students to the business side of sports.

And during the season, each Monday night’s home game is appropriately billed as “Dogs with a Cause Night” and is devoted to a local non-profit organization as the group is positioned to share its mission with fans.

“The idea is that if you are interacting with the community and giving back, you will feel good, and in ways you are able to be an overall more well-rounded and happier person. And that will translate in the workplace,” Echols said.

“We let them choose what’s near and dear to their hearts,” he added. “We have 15-to-20 full-time staff, so that’s 15-to-20 different organizations that are receiving help from the RiverDogs.”

Fans share their valuable time during the season with the RiverDogs, so it is only fitting that the RiverDogs return that time in various charitable efforts to maximize the potential of community involvement.

And with the club’s “Be Your Own Fan” marketing initiative, the off-season contributions by the organization gives citizens another reason to be a RiverDogs fan.

RiverDogs and Charleston RBI Hit Home Run with 2010 Season

As the Charleston RiverDogs have roared through the 2010 season, their paw print in the community has extended far beyond the confines of Riley Park, specifically through Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program.

For the third year in a row the RiverDogs have partnered up with MLB and the local Boys and Girls Club of the Trident Area to establish the Charleston RBI program, putting together two Charleston Yankees teams, an age 13-15 squad and a 16-18 year-old team.

Charleston RBI is a youth outreach program designed to:

  1. Increase participation and interest in baseball and softball
  2. Encourage academic participation and achievement
  3. Increase number of talented athletes prepared to play in college and minor leagues
  4. Promote greater inclusion of minorities into the mainstream of the game
  5. Teach the value of teamwork

The senior squad (ages 16-18) finished up their regular season on Saturday, July 10. Led by head coaches Herm Winningham and Lerone Johnson, who doubles as head administrator of the Charleston program, the team finished the 2010 regular season campaign on high note. Coach Winningham helped the players improve all aspects of their games, having previously been an assistant coach with the RiverDogs and played nine years in the major leagues, even winning a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990.

The veteran club participated in the 2010 KPMG RBI Southeast Regional Tournament in Jupiter, Fla. from July 29- Aug. 1 along with three other teams from the region. The senior team did not advance past the Regional round however, finishing with a 0-3 record, as the Atlanta team withdrew from the tournament. The Southeast Regional was won by the senior team based out of Tampa.

The tournament, hosted by the Florida Marlins RBI program, was played at Roger Dean Stadium, home of the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals. The winner of the Southeast regional earned a spot in the RBI World Series, which is currently being played at Roger Dean Stadium as well through Aug. 14.

The junior Charleston Yankees, led by head coach Timothy Easchues and assistant coach Charles Kinard, played a high level of baseball throughout their season. The junior league has seen their talent pool significantly increase in recent years as the RBI program has spread its message on a much broader scale throughout the Charleston area.

The junior squad finished the Regional tournament with a 0-4 record. In their losing efforts the Charleston team showed tremendous heart and determination, dropping three of four contests by a combined five runs. The Florida Marlins RBI team advanced from the Junior bracket.

Though their seasons came to a close in Jupiter, both the Junior and Senior teams had an experience they are likely to remember for a long time. The host Marlins RBI program held a bowling night for all the participating teams Thursday night prior to the tournament’s first games.

After Saturday’s games, the players from both teams remained at Roger Dean Stadium to take in a Palm Beach Cardinals’ game. Following the Palm Beach 3-1 victory over Clearwater, the Charleston teams had a chance to meet with Palm Beach Cardinals manager and Major League Baseball veteran Luis Aguayo.

Aguayo, a native of Puerto Rico, played in the major leagues from 1980-1989, including stints with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. The former big league infielder offered tips and advice on success and achieving goals both on and off the baseball diamond.

Six players from the junior Charleston Yankees club have been selected to participate in the 2010 Perfect Game Showcase in Atlanta, Ga. from Aug. 21-22. Perfect Game USA’s mission is to further the development and career of the talented high school baseball player.

These six players will participate in a baseball combine at the world-class East Cobb Complex in Marietta, Ga. intended to showcase their talents for the scouts and college coaches in attendance.

Perfect Game USA has a track record of sending top prospects into the collegiate and professional ranks. Perfect Game alumni include former RiverDogs and Major League players Carl Crawford, Elijah Dukes, Austin Jackson and BJ Upton.

The RBI program recently took center stage when it helped kick off the All-Star Game celebration in Los Angeles this past week. With the success of the program amongst older teenagers, MLB has recently shifted gears to bring more attention to the Jr. RBI Program, focusing on children ages 5-12.

The second annual Jr. RBI Classic, held from Friday, July 9 to Monday, July 12, featured eight baseball teams and four softball teams made up of 11 and 12-year-olds from all around the country. The celebration culminated with the RBI program presented a check to the Boy and Girls Club of America prior to the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 13.