Local Charities Are Big Winners In '07 Season
August 30, 2007 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release
OMAHA, NE - As the winner of the Omaha Royals 2007 Hurl the Pearl promotion, Brent Baker received a pair of lifetime Royals season tickets and two roundtrip tickets from Southwest Airlines. However, the biggest winner in the culmination of the season-long promotion last Sunday at Rosenblatt Stadium was the Ronald McDonald House, which received a check for $7,647 - representing all of the proceeds from the sale of soft baseballs that fans tried to hurl into a barrel of a moving vehicle at each Royals home game. And that popular promotion, presented by McDonald's and Nissan of Omaha, was one of several efforts by the Royals and many of the team's advertisers to help charitable causes in this community.
Also last weekend, as the Royals home schedule drew to a close, Werner Enterprises donated $3,290 to the American Cancer Society through the Werner RBI promotion, in which the Royals' 2007 presenting sponsor had pledged $10 for each Royals RBI at home. AIG donated $2,500 to the ALS Association through the Strike Out ALS promotion - giving about $500 more than it had pledged for each strikeout recorded by a Royals pitcher at Rosenblatt - plus another $2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands.
Last Saturday, as U.S. Army Recruiting presented Public Service Appreciation, the Royals wore special camouflage jerseys in the first game of a doubleheader. Those jerseys were auctioned off to fans during the night, with the effort raising just over $3,500 for the military-based charity, Soldiers' Angels. Earlier in August, CBSHOME presented MS Awareness Night, when the Royals special orange game jerseys were auctioned off and raised over $2,900 for the Nebraska Chapter of the MS Society.
During the weekend of August 17-19, the Royals held a silent auction for the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund. The auction of sports memorabilia and other items raised more than $6,800 for the widow and surviving children of the former Royals player who was tragically killed in July when struck by a line drive while coaching first base for the Tulsa Drillers.
Throughout the 2007 season, the Royals highlighted a Community Organization of the Night at most of their home games. A total of 57 community organizations participated and received an advertising value of $43,000.
More than $6,000 was raised this season for the Omaha Royals Youth Sports Fund, with the Werner Enterprises Meet-the-Team Party and Launch-a-Ball promotion on Werner Enterprises Fireworks Fridays raising the money, which goes to help provide sports equipment to disadvantaged youth in the Omaha area.
Area youth also earned over 40,000 tickets through several programs in 2007, including a summer reading program through the Omaha Public Library, the Royals "Hit the Books" and "Outstanding Student" programs, and the Royals donated another 11,000 tickets to the United Way. The Royals and Our Family Brands once again assisted the Open Door Mission, donating more than 3,000 cans and packages of food, over 1,000 loaves of bread and more than 50 cases of water. Many other charities received donations of sky suites, books of tickets and gift certificates, autographed balls, baseball gloves and caps and various other items.
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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 30, 2007
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