Brian & Other Celebs to Decorate Baseball Bases for
Charity
Source: Submitted by Flutter
Mervyn's Partners With the Los Angeles Dodgers for
First-Ever `Bases To Benefit RBI' Program; Top
Celebrities to Decorate Baseball Bases for Charity
Yahoo! Auction
LOS ANGELES, Jun 27, 2002 (ENTERTAINMENT WIRE) -- As
America prepares to proudly display her colors this
July 4th, Mervyn's, a family favorite shopping
destination, has partnered with the Los Angeles
Dodgers for a new cause-related initiative
called "Bases to Benefit RBI," a special program
benefiting Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI).
The program has enlisted the aid of celebrities such
as John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Billy Bob Thornton,
Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg, Joey Fatone ('NSync),
Brian Littrell (Backstreet Boys), MTV's Daisy
Fuentes, "Spy TV's" Ali Landry, "The Other Half's"
Mario Lopez, Latin singing sensation Jon
Secada, "Entertainment Tonight" host Bob Goen and "The
Today Show's" Al Roker, as well as the Dodgers' Shawn
Green and Jim Tracy, who have each agreed to decorate
an actual baseball base in different Americana themes,
which will be auctioned off on Yahoo!(R) Auctions
(http://auctions.yahoo.com) beginning July 11, 2002.
All proceeds from the Yahoo! auction will be donated
to RBI, a grassroots outreach program designed to
promote youth interest in baseball, increase the self-
esteem of disadvantaged children and encourage kids to
stay in school. The program, which began in 1989, is
supported league-wide and has helped more than 100,000
boys and girls each year in 137 cities across America.
"Mervyn's has a long-standing tradition of giving back
to the communities in which we do business," said
Frank Castiglione, Senior Vice President Marketing for
Mervyn's. "By partnering with the Dodgers and some of
Hollywood's biggest stars, we can raise both awareness
of this outstanding program as well as financial
resources to help give disadvantaged youth in America
the opportunity to play ball and be a part of the
Great American Pastime."
"It is a great pleasure to team up with Mervyn's and
RBI for this terrific cause," said Kris Rone, Los
Angeles Dodgers Executive Vice President and Chief
Marketing Officer. "The Dodgers have actively been
involved with RBI, and the 'Bases to Benefit RBI'
program is just another way of reaching out and
helping RBI and kids in our local community."
Mervyn's and the Dodgers' "Bases to Benefit RBI"
program kicks off July 11 with the unveiling of a
display of all the bases at Dodger Stadium during the
pre-game show and the simultaneous launch of the items
on Yahoo! Auctions. The celebrity-decorated bases will
be listed for a 10-day time period, with the auction
officially closing on Saturday, July 20. Additionally,
on July 20 the Dodgers will hold a special silent
auction at Dodger Stadium during the game where
attendees may bid on the bases decorated by Green and
Tracy. A check presentation will take place Sunday,
July 21, during the Dodgers home game vs. the San
Francisco Giants, with all proceeds from the Yahoo!
auction donated to the RBI Program.
The Mervyn's/Dodgers "Bases to Benefit RBI" program is
just one part of Mervyn's exclusive sponsorship of the
Dodgers "Think Red, White & Blue Week" campaign taking
place June 24-27 during the Dodgers home game series
vs. the Colorado Rockies.
For more information on the program or how to bid on
the bases, please call the Mervyn's/Dodgers "Bases to
Benefit RBI" program hotline at 1-800-730-9252.
About RBI
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) was created in
1989, as Los Angeles-arena Major League scouts, led by
John Young, sought to increase the number of young
players, give more local athletes an opportunity to
play baseball and establish a program that would
develop talent. The Dodgers joined scouts,
representatives from junior high schools, high schools
and colleges along with the Amateur Athletic
Foundation and the City of Los Angeles Recreation and
Parks Department in developing a program that has
grown from a local project into a 140-city national
entity. In fact, in 1993, RBI was adopted and funded
by Major League Baseball and currently attracts over
400,000 children across America.
About the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers' community commitment is comprehensive and
far-reaching, promoting education, sports and
recreation. The club has forged partnerships in the
public and private sectors, bringing a wealth of
positive activities to a wide-ranging and diverse
citizenry. That commitment has touched the lives of
millions with the help of Dodger players who are
active participants in these programs. In addition,
the Dodgers Dream Foundation, founded in 1998, was
created to provide educational, athletic and
recreational opportunities for the youth of Greater
Los Angeles community.
About Mervyn's
Mervyn's, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area,
is a family-friendly neighborhood department store
with 264 locations in 14 states. Known for its big
brands at small prices, Mervyn's has a well-earned
reputation for its extensive selection of national and
owned-brand fashions and housewares. With hundreds of
top national brands such as Adidas(R), Cuisinart(R),
Dockers(R), Fieldcrest(R), Gloria Vanderbilt, Haggar
(R), Kitchen Aid(TM), Lee(R), Levi's(R), Nike(R), Nine
& Company, Samsonite(R), Sideout(R) and Union Bay(R),
Mervyn's offers trend-right fashions for the entire
family and the home. With a focus on improving the
lives of children and families, Mervyn's together with
parent company Target Corporation, annually
contributes more than $2 million a week to communities
where the company operates.
CONTACT:
Mervyn's - Leanne Furman, 510/727-5668
Los Angeles Dodgers - John Olguin, 323/224-1301
Shepley Winings Hober - Kim Wilder-Lee/Barry Smith,
818/760-7131