The St. Louis Cardinals announced that their charitable foundation Cardinals Care is donating $200,000 to four charities to help the children of Joplin.  The donations to Children’s Haven, Bright Futures, Ronald McDonald House of Joplin and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jasper & Newton Counties/Joplin were made possible by the generosity of fans who donated money to Cardinals Care’s Joplin Recovery fund as part of the Teams Unite for Joplin effort last summer.

“We are inspired by the commitment each of these organizations has made to help the children of Joplin in the wake of last year’s tragedy,” said Michael Hall, Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of Cardinals Care. “We targeted our donations to help with the critical needs of each organization.”

Cardinals Care is providing a $70,000 donation to Children’s Haven to help close a funding gap the agency has in providing temporary housing to children of families experiencing a crisis.  The funds will help with necessary medical, nutritional, educational, and social services for the next two years.

Cardinals Care is providing a $40,000 to Bright Futures, which provides support services to Joplin School District students in need.   With more than sixty percent of the students in the district eligible for the free and reduced lunch program alone, the Cardinals Care funds will be used to underwrite two years cost of a part time coordinator position to help meet the variety of increased student needs created by the tornado. » Continue reading “Cardinals Care Donates $200,000 To Help Children In Joplin”

To kick off the 2012 season and help celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the founding of Cardinals Care, the St. Louis Cardinals are encouraging local businesses, schools and other organizations to rally behind the team and Cardinals Care by participating in Cardinals RED for Kids.

Piloted during the 2011 postseason, Cardinals RED for Kids is the team’s version of an office “dress down” day in which participating organizations make a donation to Cardinals Care in exchange for the opportunity to sport their Cardinal colors around the office on Opening Day.

“This is a great way to show your support for the team and help kids in our community as we commemorate the fifteen year anniversary of Cardinals Care,” said Michael Hall, Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of Cardinals Care. “We hope to rally everyone as we celebrate the return of baseball with our reigning World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.”

To participate, local businesses and organizations can log onto cardinals.com/red and download the registration form, choosing to participate for the Cardinals’ April 4 season opener or the home opener on Friday, April 13. Individual participants within the organization are then asked to pledge a modest donation to dress down and wear red in support of the Cardinals for the day. Companies can even make matching donations to support the cause. Schools are also encouraged to participate in Cardinals RED for Kids, but are not required to make a donation to get involved.

Participating schools, businesses and organizations are also encouraged to submit a creative photo showing their RED team spirit from the Rally Day. The photos will be displayed on cardinals.com  The organization that raises the most funds will receive 100 Cardinals tickets personally delivered to their office by Fredbird. Monies must be received by April 30th. Winners will be contacted directly to select their game.

For more information, or to sign up for Cardinals RED for Kids, visit cardinals.com/red.

Since its inception in 1997, Cardinals Care has invested nearly $18 million in “Caring for Kids” both on and off the baseball field.  Over the last 15 years, Cardinals Care has provided nearly $11 million in grants to over 800 non-profit youth organizations and built 19 youth ball fields in local disadvantaged neighborhoods.  Cardinals Care also runs the innovative Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball league for kids in Missouri and Illinois who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring and the cultural arts for each of the nearly 4,500 kids who participate in the program each year.  In 2011, Cardinals Care established the Joplin Recovery Fund with over $200,000 in fan donations to help the thousands of Joplin area children recover from one of the most destructive tornadoes in American history.

Fans may now make a tax-deductible donation to Cardinals Care on-line at cardinals.com/community.

Cardinals Care has announced the pricing for the purchase of autograph tickets for the club’s Winter Warm-up event Jan. 14-16. 

Tickets go on sale online at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

According to a press release from the Cardinals:

Starting at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 21^st, fans can purchase autograph tickets at the team’s website (cardinals.com/winterwarmup).  Fans may also purchase admission passes for the three-day Winter Warm-Up at the team’s website, in the official Cardinals Team Store at Busch Stadium, by phone at 314-345-9000 and at Cardinals Clubhouse stores around St. Louis.

Player autograph sessions are one of the most popular attractions of the Warm-Up. While some players’ autographs are free with the admission pass, others require an autograph ticket available through a specific additional donation. Every dollar donated for autograph tickets and all proceeds from the Winter Warm-Up benefit Cardinals Care, the team’s community foundation that cares for kids.

This highly anticipated annual event will take place Saturday, January 14^th through Monday, January 16^th (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day) at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.  The event hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday.

This year fans will get the chance to meet members of the 2011 World Series Championship team, starting with pitcher Chris Carpenter on January 14^th from 9 to 11 a.m., slugger Lance Berkman on January 15^th from 3 to 5 p.m., and World Series MVP David Freese on January 16^th from 12 to 2 p.m.

Fans can also greet the newest addition to the Cardinals coaching staff, manager Mike Matheny, as well as other former Cardinals greats and National Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Brock, Red Schoendienst, and Whitey Herzog.

“The Warm-Up is the perfect opportunity for fans to meet their favorite players and help kids in the St. Louis community,” said Michael Hall, Executive Director of Cardinals Care and Vice President of Community Relations. “We hope fans will join us in welcoming our new manager and celebrating our recent World Championship.” Hall urges fans to check the Cardinals website (cardinals.com/winterwarmup) frequently for details, including player autograph dates, times and, if required, additional donation amounts.

Since its inception in 1997, Cardinals Care has maintained a direct focus on “Caring for Kids” by distributing funds to area non-profit youth organizations and establishing Redbird Rookies, their flagship program that supports youth on and off the baseball field. Most of the organizations who are recipients of Cardinals Care charitable grants are based in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. Grant funds are intended to support purchases such as school supplies and uniforms, computers, software, instruments, books and games for educational programs, as well as basic needs such as winter clothing for needy children.

» Continue reading “Cardinals Care Announces Autograph Pricing”