BlueClaws Raise Over $5,500 in Pink Jersey Auction

Sunday’s Lakewood BlueClaws post-game pink jersey auction raised $5,535 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Central and South Jersey, the American Cancer Society’s “Strides Against Breast Cancer” and BlueClaws Charities.

The auction was originally scheduled for Mother’s Day (May 9th), but was pushed back two weeks when the May 9th game went 15 innings.

“We’re very happy to raise so much money to help these outstanding causes,” said BlueClaws General Manager Geoff Brown. “The BlueClaws, the Komen Foundation, and the American Cancer Society are all very appreciative of the fans that bid and donated their money to help fight breast cancer.”

BlueClaws pitcher Nick Hernandez’s jersey went for $800, the highest bid of the day.

The team’s next jersey auction will be held on June 17th, when the BlueClaws host a BlueClaws World Cup jersey auction on Soccer Night.

The team will also host jersey auctions on July 10th (BruceClaws on Bruce Springsteen Appreciation Night) and July 29th (Goonies jerseys on 25th Anniversary of the Goonies Appreciation Night).

Charities can receive a portion of the proceeds from a BlueClaws jersey auction through the team’s Community Partners Program. Interested area non-profits that take part in a BlueClaws fundraiser receive exposure through the team’s game program plus stadium signage. Community Partners can then apply to receive additional money through the program.

Interested charities can contact Jim DeAngelis at 732-901-7000 ext 114 or email jdeangelis@blueclaws.com.

BlueClaws Charities contributed over $150,000 to area non-profits and fundraising events in 2009.

The Lakewood BlueClaws are in their 10th season of providing family fun and entertainment at the Jersey Shore. The BlueClaws, who won the South Atlantic League title in 2009, have led the league and New Jersey in attendance in each year of existence.

“Home Runs for Heroes” Recipients Announced

The BlueClaws, OceanFirst Foundation, 92.7 WOBM and 1160 WOBM-AM are happy to announce the 2010 recipient charities for this season’s “Home Runs for Heroes” program. This will be the program’s second season. Last year, OceanFirst donated $24,000 to local charities that provide essential support to veterans and active members of the United States military after every BlueClaws home run at FirstEnergy Park.

This season’s recipients are the American Red Cross, American Recreational Military Services (ARMS), Army Emergency Relief (Fort Dix), Army Emergency Relief (Fort Monmouth), Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (Earle), Navy-Marine Corps Relief (Lakehurst), Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton, National Guard State Family Readiness Council and Vetgroup.

Like last year, the program will tie each position on the field (not including pitcher, but including designated hitter) with one of the randomly selected participant charities. Each home run by the BlueClaws at home this year will bring a $1,000 donation to the corresponding charity courtesy of OceanFirst Foundation. In addition to the grant money received, each organization will receive publicity at the ballpark and on WOBM AM and FM.

“Last year’s program was a smashing success and we’re looking forward to an even bigger season in 2010,” said Katherine Durante, Executive Director of OceanFirst Foundation. “Our servicemen and women give the ultimate sacrifice and this is a great way to support soldiers and their families here at home.”

“WOBM-AM and FM is proud to play a part in Home Runs for Heroes this year,” said Kevin Williams, Vice President of Millennium Radio New Jersey. “This is a very significant cause that is close to all of our hearts. We hope that the BlueClaws hit a lot of home runs.”

Results will be updated throughout the year on BlueClaws.com, OceanFirstFdn.org, Wobm.com, BlueClaws radio broadcasts and during all BlueClaws home games at FirstEnergy Park. All charities will have a representative interviewed on the Ocean County Breakfast Show by Shawn Michaels and Sue Moll on 92.7 WOBM.

Founded in 1996, OceanFirst Foundation is the first foundation in the country to be established by a bank as part of an initial public offering. OceanFirst’s contributions to local charities continue to grow. In 2009, OceanFirst Foundation donated more than $1.2 million to community initiatives. OceanFirst Foundation has contributed approximately $20 million to over 600 local charities in Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties since its inception. Its four priorities include Housing, Health and Wellness, Improving the Quality of Life, and Youth Development.

RiverDogs Team Up with Charleston Miracle League

Fans who frequent Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on a nightly basis hear the crack of the bat, the roar of the Charleston faithful and the laughter and joy that permeates the air.

In another part of Charleston, there exists another game for those who will never play in the big leagues, but the enthusiasm and teamwork that persists makes this a league where dreams become reality.

The Charleston RiverDogs most recent monthly volunteer project involved an afternoon spent with the Charleston Miracle League, which gives children and adults with special needs (i.e. mental and/or physical challenges) the opportunity to play baseball, for free, in formally organized league at a state-of-the-art complex in the City of Charleston’s Forrest Park Playground located in West Ashley built specifically for them.

“The City of Charleston and our fans have brought so much joy to Joseph P. Riley Park through the years,” said RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols. “It’s always great to get the opportunity to give something back to our deserving community, especially by teaming up with such a great organization as the Charleston Miracle League.”

The heart of this complex is our specially designed, rubberized-surface Joe Griffith Miracle Field, which allows players to fully participate regardless of their challenges. In addition, our complex boasts a fully functional concession stand, press box, covered picnic pavilion and handicap accessible restroom suites complete with lifts. Covered stands with viewing platforms ensure that everyone, regardless of his or her abilities, can enjoy watching a Miracle League game.

In addition, the CML is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that teaches volunteers of all ages, who typically serve as buddies for our players, the value of giving back to others and their community.

The Charleston Miracle League also engages in a yearly partnership with the Cooper River Bridge Run called “Bridging the Gap Through Baseball.” Interested participants may sign up for the bridge run as a representative of the league with 100% of the proceeds raised from this going directly to helping the Charleston Miracle League fund their Youth and Adult league programs. For 2010, the Charleston Miracle League has been selected as one of the official 2010 Cooper River Bridge Run charities.
For more information about the league or to donate or become a volunteer, visit the league’s website online at www.charlestonmiracleleauge.org.

Legends ‘radiothon’ benefits Big Brothers, Big Sisters

A “radiothon” staged by the Lexington Legends and the LM Communications radio group raised $8,200 in donations to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Bluegrass.

LM’s Lexington radio stations presented special segments highlighting the BBBS program Friday, February 26 from noon to 8 p.m. and Saturday, February 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The live broadcasts originated from Fayette Mall in Lexington and featured LM personalities as well as Legends representatives. Listeners were invited to call and make donations to BBBS, and the Legends donated 50 percent of any baseball ticket sales made during the radiothon to BBBS.

“For many years now, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Bluegrass has played a critical role in the development of kids and youth in our community, changing countless lives for the better,” said Legends Director of Marketing Seth Poteat. “Along with the good people at LM Communications, we’re proud to be associated with such an important organization and look forward to continuing our relationship during our 10th anniversary season and beyond.”

The LM group’s Lexington stations include WLXG -1300 AM, WLXO – 96.1 FM, WBVX – B92, WGKS- KISS FM 96.9, WCDA – Your 106.3, and WBTF, The Beat 107.9.

The Legends and LM communications have been partners for Legends game broadcasts throughout the team’s history, with WLXG serving as the Legends’ flagship station. This year, the primary focus for the annual pre-season radiothon shifted from the sale of season tickets to the support of BBBS.

“The Lexington Legends are a class organization that cares deeply about the children throughout the Bluegrass region,” said Dale Suttles, CEO of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. “Our most sincere thanks go out to the Legends team, along with LM Communications, for a very successful event.”

Big Brothers of Lexington was chartered in 1957 as a non-profit corporation in Kentucky to serve boys from single parent homes. Big Sisters was added in 1977, and today the agency is known as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, Inc. The organization’s mission is to create and support relationships that provide consistent, positive, one-to-one interaction between a single parent child and an adult volunteer who will be an advisor and friend on the journey from childhood to adulthood.

RiverDogs Paint House, Picture of Hope for Windwood Farm Children’s Home

While the Charleston RiverDogs have jumped full-fledged into their new “Be Your Own Fan” marketing campaign for the 2010 season, the slogan does not merely refer to individual perspective concerning gameday enjoyment and promotions, but also to what it means to support humanitarian volunteer efforts outside of the ballpark.

On Tuesday, the RiverDogs front office staff paid a visit to the Windwood Farm Home for Children in Awendaw to paint one of the organization’s houses and to learn more of its overall mission.

”Our monthly service projects allow us to give something back and show citizens that our goal is to be service-driven citizens both at Riley Park and in the community,” said RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols.  “The responsibility that we have to serve the community is one that we proudly take, and are a fan of doing so.”

Windwood Farm Home for Children is a private, not-for-profit treatment facility for young boys who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or violent and unstable home situations.   Local businessman Joseph L. Tamsberg, Jr. founded Windwood Farm in 1985 when he donated property along the Wando River that borders Francis Marion National Forest in Awendaw.  For almost 25 years, Windwood Farm has helped hundreds of young boys deal effectively with their violent and abusive pasts and move toward a more hopeful future.

Windwood Farm provides residential group care services to 28 “at-risk” boys between the ages of 5 and 16.  These children are considered to be “at-risk” because they are most likely (because of childhood abuse and trauma) to engage in anti-social, self-destructive, and/or criminal behavior.  Their life circumstances have left them in need of intense, round-the-clock supervision and care by professionals trained in interventions that assist in the healing process.

Windwood Farm Home for Children will celebrate its Silver Anniversary on October 15, 2010 – a quarter century of service to children of the Lowcountry.  Since October 2009, in recognition of this milestone, Windwood has initiated a year-long celebration of their history and progress with a theme “25 Years of Restoring Hope to Children.”

As part of their monthly volunteer ventures, the RiverDogs have also donated their time at Crisis Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, Keep Charleston Beautiful and the South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement (SCORE) program.

RiverDogs help Winwood Farms:

Donald Moore Receives Unsung Community Hero Award

The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation announced Thursday that Donald Moore, President and General Manager of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, earned its 2010 Unsung Community Hero Award.

The Bryan Foundation awards this honor annually in recognition of individuals who have made significant contributions to the community, but whose good works are not widely recognized.

“I am extremely humbled to have been selected from amongst my peers for this prestigious distinction,” said Moore. “As a life-long resident of Greensboro, I have tremendous passion for this community and the potential that it holds.”

Carole Bruce, a member of the board of directors of the Bryan Foundation, presented the award to Moore during the Bryan Foundation’s annual luncheon and meeting, with his family and staff present.

As part of the award, the Bryan Foundation will give $25,000 to the Atlantic Coast Conference in Moore’s honor to be used on behalf of the ACC Baseball Tournament that will be hosted in May at NewBridge Bank Park.

Under his leadership, the Hoppers have welcomed over 2.1 million fans in their first five seasons, becoming the only Class A team in the history of Minor League Baseball to draw over 400,000 fans and grow its attendance four straight years in a new ballpark.

The Grasshoppers were the proud recipients of the South Atlantic League’s Club Merit Award four of the past five years, with Donald garnering additional accolades as the league’s General Manager of the Year Award in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.  Baseball America honored Moore and the Grasshoppers with the prestigious Bob Freitas Award for the Single-A level in 2008.

Moore has created several college scholarship funds, including the Bill Lee Memorial Scholarship and the Charlie Harville Memorial Scholarship. He currently sits on the board of The Bryan Family YMCA, The Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame, Downtown Greensboro, Inc., and is President-Elect of the Greensboro Sports Council.

‘Birds Unveil 2010 Hit the Books Program

The Delmarva Shorebirds have teamed up with Sylvan Learning Center and Farmers Bank of Willards to kick off the 2010 “Hit the Books” Reading Program. The “Hit the Books” Reading program is designed to promote reading outside the classroom. Participating students are asked to read four books of their choice and track their progress on the official “Hit the Books” bookmark given to all students. Each book completed gets them to the next base and when they hit their homerun they are rewarded with two complimentary tickets to a Shorebirds game and the chance to set foot on the field and represent their school in a pre-game parade with Sherman.

“We’re proud to participate in this year’s reading program. Sylvan and “Hit the Books” are a good match because we have a common goal- to reach as many students as possible across the Eastern Shore and get them excited about reading. We look forward to recognizing their hard work and achievement at the Perdue Stadium this spring, and we hope the Delmarva community will join us in honoring these great readers as well,” said Becky Grinath, Director, Sylvan Learning Center.

Chris Davis, President of Farmers Bank of Willards also stated, “Hit the Books is a great program, and we are proud to be a sponsor in 2010. This program gives us the opportunity to give back and thank the community for its overwhelming support of the Farmers Bank of Willards. It’s the perfect partnership for a community bank that’s celebrating its 85 years in business and our local students who are the future leaders for our community.”

This season, the “Hit the Books” program will reach more than 45,000 students from 121 schools across the Eastern Shore. To accommodate the growing number of students who complete the program each year, the Shorebirds have added two additional dates, raising the total from six in 2009 to eight in 2010.

“As an organization, we take a lot of pride in our “Hit the Books” program. It is an excellent community outreach program and it is wonderful that we have the opportunity to get such a large number of young students involved in this educational program,” General Manager, Chris Bitters stated. “We are very much looking forward to rewarding all the fine young men and women that completes the program this season with an exciting evening at the ballpark!”

Cookies with Claus–Over 100 Toys Collected for Toys for Tots!

The Delmarva Shorebirds would like to announce that at the Cookies with Claus event with the help of Santa and Sherman, Toys for Tots was able to collect over 100 toys which will be distributed to needy children around the Delmarva Peninsula this holiday season.

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is a non-profit organization whose goal is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.

Inaugural Float for the Fund Raises Over $2,475

Thanks to the help of local celebrities the Inaugural Shorebirds Float for the Fund was a huge success. On Sunday, August 23 beginning at 5pm WBOC Meteorologist Dennis Ketterer, Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton, Sheriff Mike Lewis, Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt, District States Attorney Davis Ruark and the B95.3 & 101.7’s Karen Stevenson began serving delicious rootbeer floats made up of Georgeo’s Vanilla ice cream and MUG Rootbeer to hundreds of fans, and when it was all said and done over 1,500 floats were dished out to some very happy Shorebird Fans.

Here are some of the stats of the day: 495 commemorative cups sold at $5 apiece, 74 gallons of icecream, 104 2-liters of MUG rootbeer and hours of hard work from our celebrity scoopers. All of this help raised $2,475 for the Shorebirds Community Fund, a newly founded fund through the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, which will be used by the Shorebirds to assist in local youth sports programs.

The Shorebirds would like to thank everyone who helped in support of the event and we look forward to doing it again next season!

Charleston RiverDogs Donate $25,000 For Research to Fight Blindness

The Charleston RiverDogs again made a sizeable donation to the Medical University of South Carolina’s Storm Eye Institute for research to fight blindness.

The $25,000 donation comes primarily from the RiverDogs’ 10th Annual “Kindness Beats Blindness” auction that was held on June 20.  Money also came from the 5th Annual Hot Stove Banquet & Silent Auction on January 30 that featured Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry and the 4th Annual “Fun Is Good” Golf Tournament on May 19.

The ceremonial check was presented Wednesday night prior to the RiverDogs game with the Delmarva Shorebirds.

“We thank the RiverDogs and their fabulous fans for the gift of $25,000 to support eye research at Storm Eye Institute,” said Toni McHugh, the Institute’s Director of Development.  “This gift is very significant, and the money will be used toward the quest to save and restore sight.”

“The entire RiverDogs family remains overwhelmed by the continued support from the Charleston community for this worthy cause,” said General Manager Dave Echols.  “We are able to continue offering unique items for the auction that appeal to everyone as the event grows each year.”

Blindness became the RiverDogs’ primary charity when RiverDogs president Mike Veeck’s daughter, Rebecca, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa several years ago.  Veeck and his wife, Libby, have dedicated themselves and most of their charitable efforts toward fighting blindness.

“As an ophthalmologist, I want to provide hope to patients like Rebecca and their families,” said Dr. M. Edward Wilson, Director of the Storm Eye Institute.  “The research at Storm Eye Institute, made possible by donations like this, is the hope.  Our researchers are committed to finding cures and treatments for these blinding eye diseases and making it possible for people like Rebecca to see again.”

“The generosity of the Charleston RiverDogs organization enables Storm Eye Institute to develop new treatments for a variety of eye diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa,” said Dr. Craig Crosson, Director of Research at Storm Eye Institute.

Walkin Roll League All Star Game Held at L.P. Frans Stadium

The Hickory Crawdads hosted the annual Walkin Roll T-ball All-Star game at L.P. Frans Stadium on Saturday, June 20. 2009.

Four teams, the Braves, Rockies, Crawdads and Rockies, squared off as the players showed off their best baseball skills with several Crawdads players and staff members on hand.

Pitchers Joe Wieland (#20) and Mark Hamburuger (#23), as well as outfielder Mike Bianucci (#3) and third baseman Matt West (#11) were on hand to assist the players. Crawdads staff members included Assistant General Manager Charlie Downs, Director of Community Relations Ashby Knack, Director of Promotions Brett Koch, Account Representatives Kathryn Bobel, Kim Scercy, and Kyle Koch, and the Crawdads play-by-play man Andrew Buchbinder. Conrad the Crawdad also made an appearance to add to the pandemonium on the field!

Walkin'-Roll-Activities-LeaIn its 15th season at L.P. Frans Stadium, the Walkin’ Roll All-Star game allows those with disabilities to take the field with the pros. The event is always special for those who participate, and the Crawdads thank the Walkin Roll League for allowing us to be a part of the lives of these special people.

Crawdads Pitcher Joe Wieland and a member of the Rangers run the bases during the 15th annual Walkin' Roll All-Star Game at L.P. Frans Stadium on Saturday, June 20.
Crawdads Pitcher Joe Wieland and a member of the Rangers run the bases during the 15th annual Walkin’ Roll All-Star Game at L.P. Frans Stadium on Saturday, June 20