PBATS has announced that the One-Day Charity fundraiser has officially raised $37,984 in order to benefit The Miracle League, an organization that works to remove the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime.
The PBATS One-Day Charity is an annual fundraiser, coordinated and executed by the Minor League Medical Coordinators. Since 2012, this fundraiser led by Committee Chair Jeff Collins from the Oakland Athletics, along with Mike Herbst (Mets), Geoff Hostetter (Angels), Joe Rauch (Phillies) and Mark Subblefield (Umpires) has raised more than $90,000, which has been donated to multiple charitable organizations. In 2015, the PBATS One-Day-Charity raised $30,202 to benefit Major League Baseball’s Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.)
Every winter, the Minor League Medical Coordinators vote on a charitable organization of which they’d like to fundraise for. Once the organization has been chosen, the idea is that all Minor League Athletic Trainers, choosing to participate, contribute the equivalent of one day’s meal money during Spring Training to help support the chosen charitable organization. In the past, PBATS has raised money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (2013), the Wounded Warrior Project (2014) and the Baseball Assistance Team (2015), as mentioned previously.
“As the committee chair of the PBATS One-Day Charity, I want to say thank you to each and every person that took the time to participate this year. The Miracle League is a remarkable organization and we’re so happy to be able to assist them in their steadfast commitment to helping children and families with special needs overcome their obstacles so that they can play America’s pastime. The Miracle League truly believes that every child deserves the chance to play baseball,” said Committee Chair Jeff Collins.
Collins added, “The success of the PBATS One-Day Charity is a direct reflection upon our undertaking and hard work and everyone who participated should all feel a deep sense of pride knowing that they were part of something this special. The PBATS One-Day Charity is only in its fourth year and it has grown so much in that short amount of time – we’re all excited about watching it grow in the coming years as we continue to help others in need.”
The PBATS One-Day Charity, although initially started as a way for Minor League Medical Coordinators to fundraise for organizations in need, is not limited to Minor League Athletic Trainers. PBATS hopes that contributions will increasingly come from all those interested in raising money for organizations in need, potentially including front office personnel, clubhouse staff members, coaches, players and corporate partnerships as well.