Fans Asked To Join Cardinals, KMOV and American Red Cross on December 6th By Donating Gifts at Busch Stadium
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (November 22, 2013) – The St. Louis Cardinals’ Front Office is once again teaming up with Cardinals Care, the American Red Cross and KMOV to provide holiday gifts to the children of military families at Scott Air Force Base.
For the second straight year, the team is asking fans to support a gift drive (#Gifts4Kids) at Busch Stadium on the morning of Friday, December 6th. Fredbird and volunteers will collect donations for an upcoming Breakfast with Santa at Scott Air Force Base for the military families.
“Our military families deserve our thanks and support every day,” said Cindy Erickson, Regional American Red Cross CEO. “We are happy to have this opportunity to show our appreciation for the daily sacrifices they make.”
“The Cardinals are honored to support our military families who make countless sacrifices for us all year long,” said Bill DeWitt III, President of the Cardinals. “We’re just doing our part to make their holiday season a little brighter.”
Starting at 6 a.m. on December 6th, volunteers from each organization will collect new, unwrapped toys for kids under 12 and gift cards for kids over 13. Fans can drop off donations from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Ballpark Village Parking Lot at the corner of Eighth and Clark Street in front of the Busch Stadium administrative offices. The first 250 people to donate items will receive a coupon for a free pizza from Papa John’s, as well as complimentary hot chocolate from Delaware North Sportservice.
The children will receive the gifts from Fredbird during Breakfast with Santa at Scott Air Force Base hosted by the American Red Cross on December 7th. Fans can learn more at cardinals.com/community.
Cardinals Care was established to give fans a way of teaming up with Cardinals players and the Cardinals organization to help children in our community – both on and off the baseball field. Since it was established in 1997, Cardinals Care has invested $19 million in helping children, including providing $11 million in grants to over 800 non-profit youth organizations, and building 20 youth ball fields in neighborhoods in both Missouri and Illinois. In 2013, Cardinals Care celebrates the 10th anniversary of the innovative Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball league for kids 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.
