Pirates grateful for chances to give back

11/23/2005
PITTSBURGH -- Contrary to their anything-but-charitable team nickname, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a longstanding tradition of involvement in philanthropic endeavors.
As the Pirates see it, their responsibility to the communities that they serve extends far beyond the walls of PNC Park.
"Giving back to the community is just as important to us as what we do on the field," said Pirates vice president of communications Patty Paytas.
Behind the scenes, and with little fanfare, the Pirates players and staff were once again extremely active in community service events and charities during the past year.
Among the many activities the Bucs contributed to were team-sponsored blood drives in association with the Central Blood Bank; the annual Opening Day food collection drive in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America; a "Gloves for Kids" player autograph session to raise money for baseball gloves to be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwestern PA; the Pirates Wives Organization's memorabilia auction to benefit the West Penn Allegheny Health Systems Burn Camp; the annual "Race for the Cure" breast cancer initiative; the Pirates/Dapper Dan Golf Classic to benefit the RBI youth baseball program through the Boys & Girls Clubs; the Pirates/Epilepsy Foundation "Family Fun Run" at PNC Park; the Annual African American Heritage Day Sports Luncheon; which featured guest speaker Sharon Robinson and benefited the Jackie Robinson Foundation; and the "Spirit of King" annual Martin Luther King event at the Kingsley Association.
"We have a terrific group of young players who are eager to be involved," said Paytas. "They come up with new events, like Jack Wilson's 'Bowling with the Bucs' event last season. It was a great first-time event, raised lots of money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and everyone who attended had a great time. We're looking forward to doing it again in 2006."
More than 150 people attended Wilson's "Bowling with the Bucs" charity bowling tournament on July 24. The event, which gave fans the opportunity to bowl with Pirates such as Wilson, Jason Bay, Sean Burnett, Jose Castillo, Humberto Cota, Ryan Doumit, Zach Duke, Josh Fogg, Mike Gonzalez, John Grabow, Rob Mackowiak, Brian Meadows, Oliver Perez, Tike Redman, Freddy Sanchez, Ryan Vogelsong, Daryle Ward, Kip Wells, Rick White and Dave Williams, raised more than $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
"The bowling tournament was easy. Pretty much our whole team likes to bowl, and it's something we do in Spring Training," Wilson explained. "I've always wanted to get involved with kids, especially the Make-A-Wish foundation, where kids have some sort of disease or life-threatening illness. To be able to put money towards them to make one of their wishes come true is pretty special. It's a great situation to be in where you can help as many people as you can."
Wilson was the Pirates player who was most active in the community last season, and for his efforts he was selected as the local recipient of the 2005 Roberto Clemente Award. The award, named for the legendary Bucs right fielder who lost his life in 1972 while trying to deliver relief supplies to Nicaragua after that country was devastated by an earthquake, recognizes the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team.
For the past three years, Wilson has served as the state spokesman for the Pennsylvania Anti-Tobacco Campaign. He appears on billboards and in radio and television ads that promote a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Wilson also is a supporter of a Junior Pirates Rookie Ball Program that provides young people aged 4-8 years old with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of baseball in a non-competitive environment. With Wilson's financial help, each child also receives a cap and Pirates T-shirt as well as two tickets to a Pirates game on "Junior Pirates Night." Wilson also supports the club's other community efforts by visiting schools and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on a regular basis.
Wilson served as the 2005 Honorary Chairman of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Hop-A-Thon. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to seeking cures for blood cancers. The Society supports five major programs: research, patient aid, public and professional education and community service.
Each year, the Pirates sponsor the Hop-A-Thon, part of the Lymphoma Society's School and Youth Program. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society invites schools in Western Pennsylvania to have their students join in the fight by participating in a "Hop for Leukemia & Lymphoma." This year's event, in which 257 schools participated, raised more than $200,000 with the top school raising $13,000. Wilson made a surprise visit to the winning school and then made a matching contribution in their honor.
"I've been fortunate to have some opportunities to help some kids," said Wilson. "That's where I usually put my concentration, as far as charities are concerned, because baseball is such a kids' sport. So many kids look up to ballplayers."
The Pirates' front office staff is also heavily involved in community service. For many years, the team has adopted local nursing homes as part of the Presents for Patients program. This past summer, team employees collected donations for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
"It's a high priority for our organization to be a strong community partner with the many nonprofit organizations throughout our area," said Pirates CEO and managing general partner Kevin McClatchy. "I encourage everyone in our organization, including our players and our front office staff, to get involved. We saw a tremendous example of this after the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. Everyone at the Pirates contributed to the relief efforts in some way. I'm very proud of what we do in our community and am appreciative of our staff's contributions."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/