Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, Special Olympics Florida – Miami-Dade, Up2Us Sports and Young At Art Museum to be recognized during a pregame check presentation on Friday, April 10
The Marlins Foundation today announced the 2015 Marlins Charity Partners: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, Special Olympics Florida – Miami-Dade, Up2Us Sports andYoung At Art Museum. The four organizations, who will each receive a $25,000 contribution from the Marlins Foundation, will be honored during a pregame ceremony with check presentations on Friday, April 10th, at 6:30 p.m. at Marlins Park.
“Marlins Charity Partners are a signature example of our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and reflect our values-driven mission of philanthropy and service,” said Marlins President David Samson. “These impactful organizations do great work in the community, and we are honored to support their efforts in South Florida.”
In addition to financial support, Marlins Charity Partners activate specific programming aligned with the mission of the Marlins Foundation. These partnerships are celebrated with Charity Partner Days at Marlins Park for each organization. Below is a brief description of how the Marlins will support the newly announced Charity Partners:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami – The Marlins and Big Brothers Big Sisters will launch a pilot Sports Buddies Program, a highly targeted one-to-one mentoring initiative serving middle and high school students in need of a positive role model.
* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: April 24th, Marlins vs. Nationals
Special Olympics Florida – Miami-Dade – For the second consecutive year, the Marlins will serve as the official sponsor of Special Olympics Softball in Miami. The partnership will provide a higher threshold of opportunity for training, competition, personal growth and community engagement for the athletes in the program.
* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: May 1st, Marlins vs. Phillies
Up2Us Sports – The Marlins will partner with Up2Us Sports to conduct a training program for coaches who will receive a Certification in Sports Based Youth Development (SBYD). SBYD coaches understand the importance of leveraging the sports setting to achieve positive outcomes around physical, mental, social and emotional skills.
* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: June 26th, Marlins vs. Dodgers
Young At Art Museum – In their second year as a Marlins Charity Partner, YAA will develop an Artist Residency Program for students and teachers at Marlins Ayudan Partner Schools. The Artist Residency Program will integrate art and literacy through the student’s excitement for baseball.
* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: July 31st, Marlins vs. Padres
About The Marlins Foundation & the Marlins Charity Partner Empowerment Fund
The Marlins Foundation is committed to improving the lives of our youth through education, the arts and baseball, with a focus on children with special needs. The Foundation community partnerships and outreach efforts demonstrate the Marlins’ leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility and civic engagement.
As the Marlins Foundation’s signature program for awarding gifts to non-profits, the Marlins Charity Partner Empowerment Fund invests in innovative organizations that are impacting our local community. Since moving to Marlins Park, Charity Partners have included: Boys & Girls Club of Miami, Breakthrough Miami, City Year Miami, Feeding South Florida, Miami Children’s Museum, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired, Miracle League of Miami, Shake-a-Leg Miami and Teach for America.
About 2015 Charity Partners:
Big Brother Big Sisters of Greater Miami – The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentor relationships that change lives for the better, forever.
Special Olympics Florida – Miami-Dade – The mission of Special Olympics Florida is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for people with intellectual disabilities who wish to participate, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
Up2Us Sports – Up2Us Sports is a national nonprofit organization that is focused on the power of coaches to transform the lives of our nation’s most vulnerable youth, and the communities they live in, through sports.
Young at Art Museum – Young At Art Museum (YAA) has been at the forefront of arts education in Broward County for the past 25 years, opening in 1989 to address the lack of arts education in our schools. YAA’s mission is to provide inspiring, interactive experiences in which art is central to shaping young minds and enriching our community.
