Former Major Leaguers Bobby Bonilla, Aaron Boone, Ron Darling, Ken Griffey, Jr., Al Leiter & Jeff Nelson among early list of players scheduled to tee off on world famous course to raise funds for Sandy recovery and rebuilding efforts
New York, NY, Monday, May 20, 2013 – New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis and New York Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson are representing their peers and going to bat for Superstorm Sandy victims, when they co-host a Players Trust all-star golf tournament on Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, Long Island on Wednesday, July 17.
Golfers and baseball fans alike will be able to combine two of America’s greatest passions during an unforgettable day on one of the country’s most famous golf courses – Bethpage Black – while helping Major Leaguers and the Players Trust raise funds to support Superstorm Sandy recovery and rebuilding efforts. Already scheduled to join Ike and David in their efforts to help Sandy victims are former big leaguers Bobby Bonilla, Aaron Boone, Ron Darling, Ken Griffey Jr., Al Leiter and Jeff Nelson. Additional players joining the cause will be announced on an ongoing basis.
“I’m looking forward to teaming up with David Robertson, the Players Trust, and members of the fraternity of Major League baseball players, to help raise funds and awareness for Superstorm Sandy victims,” stated Ike. “This July, New York will become the center of the baseball universe, and it’s only fitting that the baseball-playing community use this as an opportunity to assist the thousands of people in the area impacted by the storm who support our great game on a daily basis.”
“As Major League baseball players we’re given a stage to help raise awareness for victims of natural disasters long after the immediate attention subsides,” said David, who, along with his wife, Erin, created the High Socks for Hope foundation to lend support to those suffering in the wake of natural disasters, including Sandy. “I’m looking forward to joining forces with Ike Davis and a who’s-who list of former big leaguers to do our part to help communities still suffering from the effects of such a devastating storm.”
The Players Trust all-star golf tournament on Bethpage Black is part of the non-profit’s Disaster Relief programming efforts. In addition to what many players have done individually, Major Leaguers have committed up to $500,000 in aid from the Players Trust to non-profit organizations helping victims of Sandy recover from the destruction. To date, the Players Trust has directly contributed more than $175,000 to various organizations providing needed assistance to storm victims. Among those receiving funds are Red Hook Initiative (Brooklyn); Project Hospitality (Staten Island); Rockaway Reach (Rockaway, NY); NJ 2-1-1 (New Jersey); Pitch In for Baseball and Points of Light’s Long Island Recovery Volunteer Center. A separate $100,000 contribution from the Players Trust to New York State’s Natural Heritage Trust will go toward the removal of hundreds of downed trees and improvements to damaged turf on public golf courses.
On November 2, 2012, Major Leaguers joined forces with the Commissioner’s Office in contributing a combined $1 million to the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Feeding America to assist emergency relief efforts in the most devastated areas along the East Coast affected by Sandy. On May 9, the MLBPA and MLB-operated Baseball Tomorrow Fund joined with the New York Mets Foundation to contribute up to $1 million through a relief grant program for youth baseball and softball organizations that were directly affected by the storm.
Golf tournament participation levels begin with the $8,000 Single, which includes one foursome with a celebrity pairing, a unique, gift-filled SWAG bag and photo for each golfer, and four tickets to the post-event dinner, to be held at luxurious Carlyle on the Green. Double, Triple and Home Run sponsorship levels are also available, and each includes tickets to the Trust’s exclusive 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game viewing party to be held the night before the golf tournament at the St. Giles Hotel and attended by many of the celebrity golfers. Portions of the costs are tax deductible.
Since hurricanes struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, the Players Trust has contributed more than $3 million in the wake of natural disasters in the U.S., Haiti and Japan, long after the spotlight faded. These funds have been used by non-profit organizations to provide and/or sustain services and aid such as senior housing, mobile medical units and after school programs in the Gulf Coast; improved drinking water, medical supplies, prosthetics and training in Haiti; mobile community cafes, organic agriculture, mental health clinics and volunteer centers in Japan and new homes for families in tornado-ravaged Tuscaloosa, AL and Joplin, MO.
For more information, please visit MLBPlayers.com (http://www.mlb.com/pa/trust/allstar_golf.jsp), call 888-714-0755 or send an e-mail to PlayersTrust@mlbpa.org.
