Player Programs
For the seventh consecutive year, Joe Maddon has helped to feed over 1,500 homeless people in the Tampa Bay area with his own recipe of spaghetti and meatballs as well as bring attention to the struggles of homeless people.
Thanksmas kicked off with a celebrity bartending fundraiser at 717 South in Tampa. Rays coaches and players helped to serve guests drinks through the night. Also, Joe's Thanksmas meal was on the menu that night with proceeds going to Thanksmas. After a day of shopping for all the food, Joe, along with his wife Jaye, coaches, and Rays staff cooked all the food in the Tropicana Field kitchen.
Serving began with a night at the Sallie House in St. Petersburg which is a home for children who have been removed from their home or abandoned. The children received the special dinner along with a holiday present which was a brand new pair of shoes. Some of these children have never received a new pair of shoes or even owned a pair of their own before the event.
The next stop was to serve at the Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Tampa Salvation Army locations. Each individual was served a delicious meal as well as given a special Thanksmas blanket as a holiday gift to keep them warm in winter months.
In 2012, David Price pitched in to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay's annual "Bowl for Kids' Sake" event. David sponsored a team during the fundraiser and fans could pledge $1,000 to bowl with him. He used social media to promote the event through Twitter, challenging fans to take him on at the lanes. Through his participation, BBBS was able to raise more than $25,000. With these funds BBBS was able to serve 28 deserving kids in Tampa Bay by providing them with a caring adult mentor.
In the Spring of 2012, the Rays pitched in to support charities in their Spring Training community of Port Charlotte, Florida. Players participated in four celebrity bartending events at the Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda to benefit Charlotte County Family YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity and Charlotte County Homeless Coalition. The events also played host to the Rays radio show where each group received valuable exposure on air to gain awareness about their causes. Donations from the events totaled $3,500.
On March 30, more than seventy Tampa Bay Rays players, coaches and front office staff took a "bold" step forward to help raise awareness for pediatric cancer. Each participant shaved their head in support of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation's "Cut for the Cure Campaign". Proceeds benefitted the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer & Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital.
Joe Maddon took the event a step further by turning one of his favorite phrases "Fortune Favors the Bold" into "Fortune Favors the Bald". The phrase was emblazoned on t-shirts the players wore for work-outs the day of the head-shaving event. The shirts were available at all Rays retail locations along with Moffitt Cancer Center, Pediatric Cancer Center and All Children's Hospital for a donation to those charities leading the fight against pediatric cancer and blood disorders.
In 2010, James and Ryane Shields, along with the Tampa Bay Rays, donated a suite to start a special club for foster kids called the Big Game James Club. Three years later, the Big Game James Club has given a sense of stability and belonging to hundreds of foster children and adoptive families throughout Tampa Bay and the state of Florida. Each season, with the help of Eckerd and the Heart Gallery, over 60 foster children become club members and attend a series of home games in the suite. When the suite isn't being used for club kids, Eckerd and the Heart Gallery use the suite for special adoption events. Thanks to James and Ryane Shields, many families have adopted foster children they met in the Big Game James Club Suite.
As part of the Rays Baseball Foundation's South St. Petersburg Neighborhood Initiative, Rays players David Price, B.J. Upton and Desmond Jennings sponsored the Dugout Club, a program for children attending recreation centers in South St. Petersburg. Each player adopted two to three recreation centers and created a club in each. Price sponsored "Price's Pals," Upton sponsored "B.J.'s Bunch" and Jennings sponsored "Jennings' Juniors." Each player visited his clubs twice throughout the summer to address the youngsters about making positive choices and working hard. The players also hosted the 1,000-plus Dugout Club children at a Rays game and provided funding for the centers' summer programming and supplies.
As a way to teach at-risk youth character-building skills such as sportsmanship and teamwork through the game of baseball, super utility man Ben Zobrist created The Sandlot Club in 2010. This year, Zobrist partnered with the Pinellas County Police Athletic League (PAL), whose mission is to offer the youth of Pinellas County alternatives to violence, gang involvement and substance abuse. Their education, recreation, community service and sports programs serve as the foundation for the development of leadership skills, good citizenship and good sportsmanship and also introduce opportunity, motivation and direction for children.
As a way to teach at-risk youth character-building skills such as sportsmanship and teamwork through the game of baseball, super utility man Ben Zobrist created The Sandlot Club in 2010. This year, Zobrist partnered with the Pinellas County Police Athletic League (PAL), whose mission is to offer the youth of Pinellas County alternatives to violence, gang involvement and substance abuse. Their education, recreation, community service and sports programs serve as the foundation for the development of leadership skills, good citizenship and good sportsmanship and also introduce opportunity, motivation and direction for children.
On July 19, Zobrist met with 12 members of The Sandlot Club and their mentors from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on the field after the Rays beat the Indians, 6-0. The group took a clubhouse tour before picking teams and playing a game of "sandlot" baseball in the outfield. Afterwards, Zobrist spoke to the group about attitude, positivity and encouragement.
"These kids are learning how to cheer for each other, how to encourage, to basically teach each other the game as they go about it," Zobrist said. "All those things are really important in the game of baseball."
To help local children improve their literacy and reading comprehension skills, Elliot Johnson created "EJ's RBI (Reading Books Illuminates) Club" in partnership with Childs Park YMCA located in South St. Petersburg. The program's aim is to reward kids who read and write book reports throughout the summer.
"The younger you start reading, the better you get at it," Johnson said. "And if these kids can develop their reading comprehension skills at an early age, it will benefit them greatly and make them more valuable job candidates when starting their careers."
On June 12, Johnson visited Childs Park YMCA to kick off the summer-long program. Campers (grades 3-5) registered with a goal of reading as many as 20 books over the summer. In September, Johnson rewarded top achievers in the program with prizes including Kindle e-readers and tickets to a Rays game. Top readers read more than 20 chapter books over the summer break.
On August 22, Carlos Peña and his wife Pamela hosted 150 guests at Tropicana Field for a post-game reception to benefit Instituto Dominicano de Cardiología (Dominican Institute of Cardiology). "An Evening with Carlos Peña" raised more than $20,000 through ticket sales, a silent auction and cash donations from the Peñas and the Rays for Instituto Domincano de Cardiología's Fundación Dominicana de Cardiología (Dominican Cardiology Foundation). Fundación Dominicana de Cardiología aims to educate and counsel the Dominican population in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases, provide assistance to patients with diseases of the heart and blood vessels, emphasizing service to low-income patients, and contribute to the development and advancement of the Dominican Cardiology.
During the month of January, 25 players from the Rays Minor League system train at Tropicana Field for a week. During this week, the players are brought to the Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast in Pinellas Park where the players play games, do homework, and prepare an after school snack with the kids attending the local Boys and Girls Club. In the month of September, 50 Rays Minor Leaguers train at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte and these 50 players are brought to the Boys and Girls Club of Charlotte County to interact with the kids there. This teaches the players that community involvement is an important part of their baseball career and molds them to be role models for the youth in the communities in which they will play.
Rays infielder Sean Rodriguez grew up in the Boys and Girls Club. Sean is passionate about helping the organization and being a role model for other Boys and Girls Club members. The Rays and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast partnered to host a Rays themed luncheon to raise funds for the organization. This year, Sean attended along with outfielder Sam Fuld and pitcher Alex Cobb. Rays radio personality, Dave Wills, hosted the event. The luncheon raised $24,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast.