Members of the PCUA donated their time and craft at no charge. The Augusta GreenJackets donated game tickets to all players and coaches that participated in the tournament. The event raised $3800 for BLUE for Kids.

BLUE for Kids would like to thank the following teams for their participation:

• Georgia Diamond Dawgs (10 and under)
• Harlem Crush
• North Augusta Jackets
• Sonic Blast
• CC West
• Georgia Diamond Dawgs (14 and under)
• Harlem Mud Dogs

BLUE for Kids would also like to thank Ted Miller for all of his hard work in putting this tournament together on such short notice. Ted has been a tremendous BLUE for Kids supporter from Day 1!

CLICK FOR ALL PHOTOS!

On race day, more than 4,500 runners braved the heat and humidity to participate in the end-of-summer tradition that winds through the streets of Maryland's capital. Not only did our thirteen runners overcome the heat and humidity, they did so while carrying Build-A-Bear Workshop Curly Teddy Bears dressed in their favorite baseball team's uniform.

The Nationals, Orioles, Reds, Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners, and Dodgers were all represented in an effort to raise awareness for Big League BLUE Reach - the BLUE for Kids children's hospital program where Major League Baseball Umpires meet with and distribute Build-A-Bear Workshop furry friends to children coping with serious illness.

BLUE for Kids would like to thank Lora J. Ard Hornage and Marcus Chacona, two wonderful photographers, who donated their time and talents to capture some incredible pictures for the event. Please take a few moments and review a collection of images from the event.

• Lisa Fontaine of the Annapolis Striders for accommodating our group.
• Ken Arimitsu who raised over $5,000 in donations. That's a lot of bears my friend.
• Tom Scott, John Petro, and Pippin Gilman who raised over $1,000 in donations.
• Tim Smith (Seattle, WA), Robin Brody (New York, NY), and Ken Arimitsu (Newport Beach, CA) for flying in for the event.
• Pippin Gilman, Mike Yeager, Jeff Scheyer, and John Petro for running again this year to benefit BLUE for Kids.
• To all who donated a minimum of $100 for 3 stuffed animals. You made the Team BLUE MVP list.
• Lora J. Ard Hornage - http://www.lorajphotography.com/
• Marcus Chacona - http://www.photosbymarcus.com/

MLB Umpires Mark Wegner and Brian Runge invited 4 children and 2 chaperones of Hillsborough Kids, Inc. to Tropicana Field in Tampa on August 25, 2007 for a Big League Umpiring Experience (BLUE). Dakota, Eddie, Randall, and Quasan tried on equipment, watched batting practice from the field, rubbed mud on baseballs, and asked a number of questions about baseball. Even a couple of players stopped by to visit them. The BLUE is an opportunity for kids to learn, laugh, and have fun!

View the event photos on our Flickr page. Click Here for Photos!

EVENT COMMENTS

"Another great experience for these children! Thank you for the opportunity, and many thanks to the Devil Rays and Mark Wegner and Brian Runge for their gift of time and enthusiasm for the project. I know the effort that it takes from all involved, including the incredible Susan Gicking; the smiles and lifetime memories for the children are the undeniable return on the investment of time. " - Rita Soronen, Executive Director, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

"Just wanted to thank you for the opportunity on Saturday! We all had a wonderful time, the kids were just so excited the entire time." - Susan Gicking

SPECIAL THANKS TO

• Cherie Lewison, Suzanne Murchland, and the entire Devil Rays Community Relations team for assistance at the ballpark.
• Susan Gicking, Wendy's Wonderful Kids Recruiter, Hillsborough Kids Inc. for all the time and effort in identifying the kids. Also thanks to Krista Linder who, along with Susan, served as a chaperone.

Labels: blue, mlb, runge, tb, wegner, wwk

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America's foster care systems. Wendy's Wonderful Kids is the signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. Learn more at http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/

GUEST COMMENTS

"We had fun and our seats were great! Everyone was so kind. We enjoyed the tour and the umpires because they took time to explain a few things to us. We want to thank BLUE for Kids, Beth Paladino of the Phillies, Ms. Gwen and Ms. Delores for taking us to the game, but especially the umpires for their time. We hope to get another chance to go and this time we know the Phillies will win. Go Phillies!!" - Jonathan and Mario

"We had a wonderful time accompanying Jonathan and Mario, and we enjoyed the game ourselves. We feel the beauty of it all is the "collaborative effort" the agency workers put forth to share this opportunity with Wendy's Wonderful Kids. We salute BLUE for all that they do to enhance the lives of children." - Gwen and Delores

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

• Beth Paladino and the entire Phillies Community Relations team for assistance at the ballpark.
• Delores Brown and Gwendolyn Tunnell for taking Jonathan and Mario to the game.
• Tabor Children's Services, Inc. in Philadelphia and The Dave Thomas Foundation for working with us to provide experiences for children in foster care awaiting adoption.

Labels: crew, diaz, mlb, phi, welke, wwk

SPECIAL THANKS TO

• Dan Weiss, Rocky Halsey, and the entire Yankees Community Relations team for assistance at the ballpark.
• Astrudge McLean and John Dean of You Gotta Believe for serving as chaperones.
• You Gotta Believe in New York and The Dave Thomas Foundation for working with us to provide experiences for children in foster care awaiting adoption.

Labels: crew, guccione, hudson, mlb, nyy, wwk

Want to make a difference in your community? Be a mentor like Ron and Tim! Big Brothers Big Sisters matches caring adult mentors with at-risk youth. Read more about Big Brothers Big Sisters at http://www.bbbs.org/.

GUEST COMMENT:

"On Saturday afternoon I attended the Chicago Cubs game with my Little Brother Caleb courtesy of BLUE for Kids. Caleb and I received our tickets through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago organization. We had the pleasure to meet umpire Mark Carlson and we both had a great time. I would like to sincerely thank BLUE for Kids and Mark Carlson for making this special afternoon happen." - Ron Neroda

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

• Mary Dosek and the entire Cubs Community Relations team for assistance at the ballpark. Mary, you have been fantastic to work with all season. Keep smiling!
• Christy Livingstone of Big Brothers Big Sisters for coordinating things from BBBS!
• Ron and Tim for taking time to be a mentor!

Labels: bbbs, carlson, chi, crew, mlb