MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DEDICATES 2009 ALL-STAR SUMMER TO CHARITABLE INITIATIVES AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Nearly $5 Million Dollars Will Go Back To Community Projects in St. Louis and Around the Country

All-Star Charity Concert to Benefit Stand Up To Cancer

Major League Baseball will dedicate 2009 All-Star Summer to raising funds and awareness for charitable initiatives and celebrating the importance of community service. The charity and community service initiatives, which will be themed “Going Beyond,” will be the most extensive in Major League Baseball All-Star history and will complement the celebration of history and traditions of baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals. Major League Baseball will focus its efforts on three key pillars – Health, Youth Development and Community – by supporting healthcare organizations and education programs, increasing opportunities for young people to play baseball, acting in an environmentally-conscious manner and celebrating the community service accomplishments of everyday citizens.

$5 Million Donation to Local and National Charities

Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals will donate nearly $5 million through MLB Charities and Cardinals Care, the Club’s community outreach program, from Gatorade All-Star Workout Day, to be held Monday, July 13. The money will be distributed to a variety of local and national charities leaving a lasting community legacy throughout St. Louis and beyond.

PEOPLE All-Stars Among Us

Major League Baseball and PEOPLE Magazine have teamed up on a national campaign, “All-Stars Among Us”, that will recognize individuals who have served their communities in extraordinary ways. Fans can log onto www.PeopleAllStars.com from April 22 – May 22 to submit their nominations for the “All-Stars” in their communities. Thirty winners will be selected – one representing each of the 30 Major League Baseball Clubs – and each winner will participate in the 80th MLB All-Star Week festivities. One winning “All-Star Among Us” will be featured in PEOPLE magazine the week of the All-Star Game.

All-Star Charity Concert to Benefit Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)

In addition, Major League Baseball Properties will again host a free concert at 8 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, July 11. The All-Star Charity Concert benefiting Stand Up To Cancer will take place under The Gateway Arch at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a national park and the nation’s tallest monument, creating the perfect backdrop for an outdoor concert on the downtown St. Louis riverfront. Stand Up To Cancer
(www.su2c.org) raises funds to accelerate groundbreaking research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives.

Environmental Efforts

This year, All-Star Summer will build on the continued commitment to the environment by Major League Baseball and our partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) by incorporating a wide variety of environmentally-sensitive efforts, including:

• Organizing “MLB Green Teams” that will be at All-Star events collecting refuse for recycling, supplementing existing recycling programs
• Hosting “greening” activities in the greater St. Louis community
• Public awareness effort to educate fans about how to become more environmentally sensitive via online materials and public service announcements
• Prioritizing bio-based products and recycled content materials at events throughout All-Star Week
• Addressing energy usage through efficiency measures and by investing in renewable energy offsets

Volunteerism

Major League Baseball Properties business partners will also be supporting community service initiatives by volunteering during All-Star Summer events. Supporting the theme of community service, more than 350 employees of Major League Baseball partners will volunteer their time to work at one of several charity events, including a Boys & Girls Clubs room renovation in partnership with Magical Builders, a youth baseball field refurbishment, and a game for special needs youth on the field of Busch Stadium. Partners volunteering their time include Anheuser-Busch, Bank of America, KPMG, MasterCard, Rawlings and Sharp. In addition to donating volunteer hours, Gatorade and Pepsi have committed to supply beverages to support the volunteer efforts.

Who Benefits?

Major League Baseball uses All-Star Summer events to support organizations including its official charity – Boys & Girls Clubs of America – and others with which the League has strong relationships, including the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, National Recreation and Park Association, and Roberto Clemente Sports City, among others.

A substantial portion of the proceeds will remain in St. Louis to fund a number of worthy projects including the following:

• Herbert Hoover Ballpark: The funds will be used to build a new youth sized ball field adjacent to the original site of Sportsman’s Park.
• Mathews-Dickey Ball-Field: The money will provide ball field renovations and improvements for the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club which operates the “RBI presented by KPMG” program in St. Louis.
• Redbird Rookies Saigh Scholars Endowment: Each year since 2004, Redbird Rookies, the Cardinals Care youth baseball program, offers up to ten participants the opportunity to receive a $5,000 college scholarship. The funds will be used to offer ten additional Saigh scholarships each year, allowing more families in the community to benefit from the program.
• College Bound: College Bound offers college preparation services to high school students and current Redbird Rookies Saigh Scholars. The curriculum includes tutoring, community service, test preparation, scholarship guidance and workshops in writing, communication and other life skill areas. The program enables Cardinals Care to continue to foster the relationship that was started in elementary school all the way through high school.
• Elementary School Scholarship: The scholarship will support underprivileged children through local private school, City Academy, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through sixth grade.
• Healthy Kids Express: The money will fund St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s mobile van program designed to bring health care to children in the greater St. Louis area. Children through age 18 are able to receive medical screenings, immunizations and vision, hearing, physical and dental examinations at no cost.

About 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 14th in St. Louis and will feature the best of the American League taking on the top players of the National League. Building up to the excitement of the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball will conduct a wide variety of special events and charitable activities for fans both inside and outside of Busch Stadium. At the ballpark, the events will include Taco Bell All-Star Sunday on Sunday, July 12th featuring the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, and Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 13th featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby. Outside of the ballpark, fans will have an opportunity to experience All-Star Summer through a variety of special events including Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest, the five-day interactive fan festival; the All-Star Concert benefiting Stand Up To Cancer, a free concert for fans under The Gateway Arch; and the All-Star Game Red Carpet Show presented by Chevy, a free parade of All-Stars leading into Busch Stadium. The Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally on FOX Sports and will be shown around the world by Major League Baseball International.

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Contact: Sarah Leer or Dan Queen, Major League Baseball, (212) 931-7878