Charities Are Big Winners in 2008
OMAHA, NE – The Omaha Royals expanded its giving to local charities, community organizations and schools during the team’s 2008 season. The Royals, with the help of several of the team’s advertisers and its’ fans, donated a total of $821,900, mostly in the form of tickets and cash.
“Impressive. That is the one word I use to describe the work that our staff has done and continues to do in the community,” said Martie Cordaro, Royals General Manager. “Our staff is fortunate to be able to live and work in such a great community, and to be able to give back to it.”
Two season-long promotions generated over $10,000 in cash for two charities. The “Hurl the Pearl” promotion, presented by Nissan of Omaha and McDonald’s, raised over $7,000 for the Ronald McDonald House. Werner Enterprises donated $3,150 to PlaySmart through its RBI promotion, in which the Royals’ 2008 presenting sponsor pledged $10 for each Royals RBI at home.
Once again in 2008, the Royals held silent auctions of various specially-designed jerseys – autographed by the Royals players who wore them – during several home games. On May 30, an auction of red jerseys, presented by the SilverStone Group, raised $2,580 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. On June 29, the Royals wore 1969 replica jerseys as part of a celebration of the Triple-A team’s 40th season in Omaha. The auction of those jerseys generated $4,600 for the Boys Scouts Mid-America Council, going directly to the rebuilding effort of the Little Sioux Scout Ranch devastated by a tornado earlier that month. On August 23, the Royals marked Public Service Appreciation Day – presented by the U.S. Army and Woodmen of the World – by wearing American-themed jerseys. That jersey auction brought in more than $2,000 for Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
On July 5, the Royals donated 50 cents from every ticket sold to that Saturday night’s game to help with flood relief efforts in four Iowa cities, sending over $2,600 to the cause. On August 23, a dozen Royals staff members, family, partners from Lovgren Marketing Group and the team’s mascot, Casey, took part in an ALS walk at Elmwood Park. That effort also raised more than $2,600.
In 2008, the Royals donated over 100,000 tickets to their home games, with most of them being earned by metro-area children through good work in the classroom. Over 33,000 General Admission tickets went to the Royals “Hit the Books” and “Outstanding Student” programs, where children who completed the reading program or were honored for excellence by their elementary schools could choose which of three games to attend. The Royals donated 25,000 Reserved seat tickets for their August 2 game to the Omaha Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. And 30,000 G.A. ticket vouchers went to the United Way, for that organization to use as a “thank you” gift for their donors.
New in 2008, the Royals developed a Season Ticket Grant program and a Royals-Robinson Scholarship. Over $5,000 in season tickets were awarded to people who had experienced a financial hardship, a personal loss, or another devastating circumstance. The program was presented by KPTM-Fox 42 and The Reader. Cody Baker, a senior at Boys Town High School, was honored at Rosenblatt on May 9 as the recipient of the team’s inaugural Royals-Robinson $500 scholarship.
On Sundays in 2008, Royals fans brought in almost 1,500 cans and boxes of Our Family Brands food, in exchange for a General Admission ticket, with all the proceeds going to the Open Door Mission. Many other charities benefited from cash and in-kind donations from the Royals this season. Also, Royals staff members spent 427 hours from April through August at community appearances, with the team’s mascots logging 148 hours.