SUMMER 2012 NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 SUMMER 2012 NEWSLETTER

2 ROOKIE LEAGUE Opening Day, July 4th, marked the start of another exciting, seven-week season another summer for children and youth from 44 Toronto Community Housing neighbourhoods to get active, learn baseball skills, and gain the important life skills that come from being part of a team. After months of preparation and much anticipation, the day had come to launch the 24th season of the Blue Jays Baseball Academy Rookie League program in Toronto! It s nice to be able to say I did something for this community. My goal is to bring a little bit of hope, even if it s to just one person, to do something bigger than they thought they could. Rajai Davis 11 Left Fielder, Toronto Blue Jays

3 Blue Jays starting Ricky Romero, catcher J.P. Arencibia, third baseman Brett Lawrie, center fielder Colby Rasmus and left fielder Rajai Davis served as Honourary Division Captains, and Blue Jays manager John Farrell served as Honourary Manager for the summer. On Opening Day, Romero, Arencibia and Davis dropped by Stan Wadlow Park to welcome the Rookie Leaguers, offer words of encouragement and discuss the importance of staying active, being a good sport, and enjoying the process of learning how to play ball. Special thanks to our partners Rawlings for subsidizing the cost of the baseball equipment, Lesters Hot Dogs for providing lunch for the program, and the CIBC Children s Foundation for supporting Rookie League with a $20,000 grant! ROOKIE LEAGUE EQUIPMENT DRIVE On May 19th, loyal Blue Jays fans supported the Rookie League program by dropping off new and gently-used baseball equipment, and monetary donations, at the major gates at Rogers Centre prior to the game. The Equipment Drive raised $3,500 and collected 190 pieces of baseball equipment for this season of Rookie League! Casey Gordon Award Winners for Sportsmanship, Teamwork & Attendance STAN WADLOW PARK: FIELD RENOVATION & LIGHTING INSTALLATION On May 23rd, the Jays Care Community Crew, made up of 44 volunteers from the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre staff, and the Blue Jays Grounds Crew, spent the day renovating the main baseball diamond at Stan Wadlow Park, one of the primary locations of the Rookie League program. Volunteers worked tirelessly restoring the bleachers, improving the field, and building new bullpen mounds. On June 13th, Toronto Blue Jays pitchers Ricky Romero and Drew Hutchison were on hand with the Jays Care Foundation, Baseball Tomorrow Fund, City of Toronto and East York Baseball Association to unveil the new lighting, Blue Jays backstop, and light-pole signage at the main diamond at Stan Wadlow Park, made possible through a $150,000 Jays Care Field of Dreams grant. The lights will extend playing time, allowing 60 more children to participate this season. Thank you to Mar-Co Clay for donating the clay for the diamond! I want to thank you for being a part of this great event. For us, it means a lot to be here, to represent the Blue Jays, and to see the smiles on [your] faces. Ricky Romero 24 Pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays Stan Wadlow Park: Lighting Installation

4 JR. RBI CLASSIC From July 5th-10th, 11 Rookie Leaguers were given the oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to represent the Blue Jays Baseball Academy Rookie League program in the Jr. RBI Classic in Kansas City. They were the first Canadian team in the tournament s history! For six weeks, the Rookie League team honed their skills to prep for the tournament, and took what was, for many of them, their first trip outside Toronto. The team had many awesome experiences, including meeting Paul Beeston and Joe Carter, and participating in the Jr. RBI Classic Opening Ceremonies and clinic at Satchel Paige Stadium. An essay by Faris, one of the Rookie League players, was one of two selected in the Jr. RBI Classic essay-writing competition, with a grand prize of catching fly balls in the Home Run Derby! Special thanks to Heys for providing luggage for the entire team! This season of Rookie League was unlike any other: it marked the first full season of cross-canada programming. Through Jays Care Foundation s national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada, children and youth in 16 communities across 10 provinces learned how to play baseball some for the very first time! Toronto Community Housing Boys & Girls Club of Williams Lake and District (British Columbia) Boys & Girls Club of South Coast BC Boys & Girls Club of Calgary Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa Boys & Girls Club of London Dawson Community Centre Boys & Girls Clubs (Montreal) Boys & Girls Club of Winnipeg Boys & Girls Club of Regina Boys & Girls Club of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour Area (Halifax) Boys & Girls Club of Big Brothers Big Sisters Edmonton Okanagan Boys & Girls Club (Kelowna) Boys & Girls Club of Charlottetown Boys & Girls Club of Moncton Boys & Girls Club of St. John s Boys & Girls Club of Saskatoon 2012 Jr. RBI Classic team ROOKIE LEAGUE WRAP-UP On August 16th, 900 Rookie Leaguers made their way to Rogers Centre for the final day of programming. The day was kickstarted with the Rookie League All-Star Game on Rogers Centre field, followed by the awards ceremony, where the CIBC Team Spirit Award, Saul Vale Leadership Award, Coaches of the Year Awards and Teamwork & Sportsmanship Awards were presented. After a Lesters Hot Dog lunch, all of the Rookie Leaguers were given a backpack full of school supplies and spent the afternoon on Centre Island, returning to Rogers Centre where they watched their very own Toronto Blue Jays play! ROOKIE LEAGUE COAST TO COAST For more information, please visit: bluejays.com/baseballacademy

5 INSTANT REPLAY Thank you to our sponsors, guests, and the Toronto Thank you to our sponsors, guests, and the Toronto Blue Blue Jays Jays players, players, staff staff and and alumni, alumni, for for their their overwhelming overwhelming generosity. generosity. The The Curve Curve Ball Ball and and 17th 17th Annual Annual Charity Charity Golf Golf Classic, Classic, presented presented by Rogers, by Rogers, Cisco Cisco and Ericsson, and Ericsson, were were a resounding a resounding success, success, raising raising a combined a combined $880,000 $880,000 for the for the programs and and outreach outreach initiatives initiatives of Jays of Jays Care! Care! ON DECK ON DECK FOR 2013: FOR 2013: The Curve The Curve Ball Ball will will be held be held in in April 2013 April and 2013 the and 18th the Annual 18th Annual Charity Charity Golf Golf Classic Classic will will be held be in held June/July in June/July 2013! 2013! Stay Stay tuned tuned for more for more details! details! On June 15th, Blue Jays left fielder Rajai Davis visited John Wanless Public School to meet the students and play interactive games to help them better understand the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity. On July 20th, Blue Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow, a type 1 diabetic, invited JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) for a night in the Jays Care Community Clubhouse. He surprised the kids with a visit, took photos and signed autographs! Morrow kindly answered the kids questions about what it s like to be a professional athlete with type 1 diabetes. ThankYou ThankYou Last month, the Lady Jays visited North York Harvest Food Bank to lend a hand by sorting non-perishable food items. On June 16th and 17th, the Lady Jays hosted their 28th Annual Lady Jays Food Drive and raised more than $32,000 for Food Banks Canada and over 2,600 pounds of food for the Daily Bread Food Bank! Our Twitter followers requested it and the daring duo delivered! On July 25th, Sportsnet s broadcast team, Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler, braved the CN Tower EdgeWalk in support of Jays Care. With the help of loyal Blue Jays fans, Buck and Pat raised $10,000 for children and youth in need across Canada! On July 27th, Toronto Blue Jays players, trainers, their wives, and mascots Ace and Junior, visited children at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. During the visit, they conversed, posed for photos and decorated picture frames with the kids.