June 17-19 series at Busch Stadium to feature a variety of awareness and fundraising activities to benefit Joplin tornado victims
JOPLIN, Mo. - Gov. Jay Nixon today was joined by representatives of the St. Louis Cardinals in Joplin to announce an initiative to benefit victims of the area's devastating May 22 tornado. The initiative will center around the upcoming I-70 series between the Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals in St. Louis on June 17-19. The theme for the series between the rivals at Busch Stadium will be "Teams Unite For Joplin," and will feature a variety of awareness- and fund-raising activities dedicated to Joplin relief.
The Governor was joined by Cardinals president William DeWitt III; players Adam Wainwright, Kyle McClellan and David Freese; and other team officials in making the announcement today at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
"Missourians are fortunate to not only have two Major League Baseball franchises here, but to also have two organizations that truly care about the welfare of the people of our state," Gov. Nixon said. "The annual I-70 series, always eagerly anticipated by baseball fans across the state, will be dedicated to the teams' desire to assist the people of Joplin in their recovery efforts. These three days at Busch will feature both great baseball and an outpouring of support for the people of Joplin."
"While the Cardinals and Royals may be rivals on the field, we are united in our commitment to help Joplin," said William DeWitt III, St. Louis Cardinals President. "The courage, resilience and resolve of the people of Joplin are inspiring."
"This is a very difficult time for the people of Joplin, as they attempt to recover and rebuild from the events of a couple of weeks ago," said Dan Glass, Kansas City Royals President. "The indelible images that all of us have seen tug at our hearts and have driven us to assist those affected not only immediately, but also down the road, because this will take a very long time to recover from. On behalf of the Kansas City Royals' organization, we are proud to partner with the St. Louis Cardinals and other Missouri sports franchises in order to offer as much assistance as possible as we help to rebuild this very proud community."
Among some of the initiatives the two clubs will be doing during next week's three-game series include:
* Wearing a special commemorative patch that honors Joplin recovery on their uniforms; fans will be able to purchase the special "Teams Unite For Joplin" commemorative patch at Busch Stadium and at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, with proceeds going toward Joplin relief;* Using specially-designed baseballs for the first-pitch ceremony, game-use bases and line-up cards that bear the commemorative Joplin logo;* Players from both teams autographing a number of Joplin-related items to be auctioned off;* A "Jerseys Off Their Back" promotion for Sunday's (June 19) game, with a portion of the proceeds to go to Joplin recovery;* The Cardinals are directing fundraising efforts to their charitable foundation, Cardinals Care, to raise money to help the thousands of Joplin-area kids impacted by the tornado; people can learn more and donate at
www.cardinals.com/joplin; and* Having messages throughout Busch Stadium, on television and on radio urging fans to donate to Joplin relief.
"The entire state of Missouri stands with the people of Joplin," Gov. Nixon said. "I commend these two professional baseball ball franchises for stepping up to the plate to help the Joplin relief efforts." |
