CARDINALS CARE

 “COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD”

Cardinals Care, the charitable foundation of the St. Louis Cardinals, funds the foundation’s Redbird Rookies program and supports other area non-profit groups that benefit local youth. In the spring of 2010, Cardinals Care distributed more than $185,000 to 76 local non-profit organizations. In the fall, it donated $200,000 to an additional 98 area non-profits.

The Redbird Rookies youth baseball league provides area kids with uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment, as well as extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring and cultural arts. The organization recently held its “Cardinals Care Run Home for Kids” 6K event. The run started at the Stan Musial statue outside Busch Stadium, continued through the streets of downtown St. Louis, and ended inside the ballpark with each participant crossing home plate at the finish line. The 6K designation is a tribute to the No. 6 worn by legendary Cardinals slugger Stan Musial. “The Cardinals Care Run Home for Kids is a fun event that promotes fitness and good health, while raising money for our foundation,” said Michael Hall, Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of Cardinals Care. “We were excited about the run and really see it becoming our second major annual fundraising event in addition to the Winter Warm-Up.”

Cardinals Care’s annual Winter Warm-Up event, which takes place every January, has been the foundation’s primary fundraising event for the last 14 years. Thanks in large part to fan and sponsor support of the Winter Warm-Up, Cardinals Care has distributed more than $16 million to area children’s organizations since its inception in 1997. Many of the non-profit organizations that are recipients of Cardinals Care charitable grants are based in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. The funds are intended to support the purchase of computers and software, books for literacy programs, cameras, printers and youth summer camps. The 2010 Winter Warm-Up raised more than $600,000 for Cardinals Care.

Cardinals Care also raises funds through memorabilia auctions online and throughout Busch Stadium during the baseball season. Cardinals’ fans donated more than $100,000 to Cardinals Care through these auctions in 2009. In addition, fans can now make a tax-deductible donation to Cardinals Care online at www.cardinals.com/community.