FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2014
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND THE MINNESOTA TWINS ANNOUNCE THE MOST
EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY LEGACY EFFORT IN ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY
More Than $8 Million from MLB Charities, the Minnesota Twins, the Twins Community
Fund and the Pohlad Family Foundation will go to Local Projects and National Charities
Major League Baseball and the Minnesota Twins announced today that the 2014 All-Star community legacy
effort, including the contribution of more than $8 million toward local projects and national charitable initiatives,
will be the most extensive in Midsummer Classic history, in both number of projects and funding committed. This
MLB All-Star Summer community effort, which is largely thanks to a generous contribution by the Pohlad family
and consists of a range of renovation projects and life enrichment initiatives, will leave a lasting legacy in the
Upper Midwest region of the country and beyond.
The All-Star Community Legacy projects will support several youth baseball field renovations, impact the
lives of underserved youth and local veterans, place a focus on improving the health and well-being of local
citizens, support cancer research, highlight the importance of environmental consciousness, and complement the
midsummer celebration of Baseball and the Minnesota Twins. All initiatives and projects will be unveiled leading
up to the 85th MLB All-Star Game, airing LIVE on FOX on Tuesday, July 15th.
More Than $8 Million to Local Projects and National Charities
MLB and the Twins plan to donate more than $8 million, through MLB Charities, the Twins Community Fund
and the Pohlad Family Foundation, to MLB All-Star projects in the Upper Midwest and to support national charitable
initiatives, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, National Recreation and Park
Association, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer, and Susan G. Komen, among others. A portion of
the funds will be raised from Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 14th.
MLB All-Star Summer Lasting Legacy Support
A significant portion of 2014 MLB All-Star Summer lasting legacy donations will be focused on communities
throughout the Greater Twin Cities area and beyond to fund worthy projects and causes, including the following:

Youth Field Renovations (Northeast Athletic Park Baseball Field – Minneapolis; El Rio Vista
Baseball Field – St. Paul; NSP Field – Minneapolis; and Lee Park – Robbinsdale) – MLB All-Star
Legacy funding will help renovate four youth baseball fields, owned by the Minneapolis Park &
Recreation Board and the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department, to expand the use of these
facilities to diverse youth leagues, primarily the Twins Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI)
program.
The fields are Northeast Athletic Park and NSP Field in Minneapolis, El Rio Vista
Baseball Field in St. Paul, and Lee Park in Robbinsdale. The Northeast Athletic Park Baseball Field
will be supported by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and Scotts, the Official Lawn Care Company
of Major League Baseball. Scotts will also be supporting the renovations at El Rio Vista Park. Lee
Park will be renovated in partnership with the Hennepin County Youth Sports Grants. Northeast
Athletic Park will be the site of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2014 All-Star Jr. RBI Classic, an
event designed to provide young baseball and softball RBI program participants from around the
country, ages 11-12, with the opportunity to be a part of the MLB All-Star Week experience.

Jerry Gamble Boys & Girls Club, Multipurpose Room (Minneapolis) – This project will
transform a currently unusable, cracked indoor pool into a multipurpose room to increase and
enhance the club’s sports, health and performing arts activities. Renovations include: filling in and
covering the pool area; and installing a synthetic floor for multi-use athletic space, a new
scoreboard, new lighting and windows, bleachers, a stairway to the balcony, an air handler unit
for locker rooms, HVAC system and a concessions area. The Jerry Gamble branch of the Boys &
Girls Club of the Twin Cities serves more than 3,000 youth each year.

CommonBond Communities, Veteran Housing at Fort Snelling (Minneapolis) – As an
extension
of
Major
League
Baseball’s
Welcome
Back
Veterans
initiative
(WelcomeBackVeterans.org), MLB and the Twins will join CommonBond’s effort to build an
Advantage Services Center as part of a new housing complex for homeless veterans. The 58 new
homes will be located on the VA Medical Center campus on the upper post of Fort Snelling. All
new households will have access to on-site supportive services at no cost through the Advantage
Services Center, the VA Medical Center and third party providers.
At Advantage Centers,
residents are connected with programs and services that are the lifeline work-age adults need to
stabilize their lives, youth need to be academically successful, and individuals with disabilities
need to live independently.

Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary (St. Paul) – MLB and the Twins will help fund a seven-acre
woodland restoration and enhancement portion of a larger, multi-phase project. This project will
transform a neglected former railroad site into a nature sanctuary complete with prairie, savanna,
maple-basswood forest and a storm water management system of filtration ponds and wetlands.
St. Paul’s Parks and Recreation Department is a project partner.

Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis) – The project will consist of
renovations made to 48 rooms and a common area, and will provide a private, safe, clean and
pleasant environment for families of children with life-threatening illnesses. The renovations to
the common area will cover the connecting hallways, community spaces and bathrooms.
Additionally, a baseball-themed lounge will be featured in the House’s central space.
The
renovations to the 48 rooms will include improvements made to the carpeting, bathrooms,
painting, furniture, heating/kitchenette and electronics.

Miracle League Field (Hibbing) – The Twins and MLB will partner with the Miracle League of
the Iron Range to build an official Miracle League Field in Hibbing, Minnesota. The speciallydesigned field for youth with disabilities will serve kids from more than ten communities in the
Iron Range of Northern Minnesota. This will be the first and only field of its kind in this wide
swath of the state.

Kirby Puckett Mobile Eye Clinic – All-Star Legacy funding will go toward the creation of the
Kirby Puckett Mobile Eye Clinic, which will be part of the Kirby Puckett Education Center at the
Phillip’s Eye Institute, to provide more than 43,000 un- or under-insured children and adults
through Minnesota with preventative eye care. The Mobile Eye Clinic, which will be integrated
into the Early Youth Eyecare (E.Y.E.) program, will become the first stop for vision care for all
children who do not pass the vision screenings currently conducted in schools in Minneapolis and
St. Paul. The Mobile Eye Clinic will provide many benefits to children and families served by the
Phillips Eye Institute, including timely access to quality vision care, providing a comprehensive
and consistent vision exam for all E.Y.E. beneficiaries.

MLB All-Star “Hearing Mission” (Starkey Hearing Foundation, Eden Prairie) – MLB and the
Twins, in partnership with Starkey Hearing Foundation, will fit pre-selected recipients with their
own customized, state-of-the-art, digital hearing device. Patients will be identified by local
audiologists and through partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and local schools for the
hearing impaired.
“All-Star FANS CHOOSE” Initiative
Major League Baseball and the Minnesota Twins launched the first-ever “All-Star FANS CHOOSE” grant
initiative, which will award $500,000 to a non-profit organization in the Upper Midwest region to support a capital
project that will benefit a local community. Non-profit groups in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and
western Wisconsin may apply at AllStarGame.com/FansChoose through May 23rd. A panel of judges, consisting of
representatives from MLB and the Twins, will determine the final five non-profit projects based on the following
criteria: impact on community, scope, timeline, environmental improvement, sustainable design, and quality of
application. Fans will be able to vote for their favorite projects on AllStarGame.com, June 10th through July 10th.
The winning non-profit and capital project will be announced during MLB All-Star Week in July.
The Color Run MLB All-Star 5K presented by Nike
Major League Baseball and The Color Run are joining together to host the first-ever The Color Run MLB AllStar 5K presented by Nike on Sunday, July 13th at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
Participants of all ages will make their way through an All-Star themed course inside the Minnesota State
Fairgrounds that will feature appearances by MLB legends, mascots and other special guests. The event is a fivekilometer, un-timed race in which participants are doused in different colored powder at each kilometer. Following
the event, a festival including music, giveaways and contests will take place. The event, which is open to
participants of all ages, is an entertainment experience for the whole family.
MLB will make a contribution to three charities supporting cancer research and education – Stand Up To
Cancer, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Susan G. Komen, and The Color Run will make a contribution to their
charitable partners, Global Citizen and Camp Kesem. Registrants will also have the opportunity to make an
additional charitable donation to these charities at the completion of the registration process.
Additional
supporters of The Color Run MLB All-Star 5K presented by Nike include Aquafina, Firestone, Gatorade, Gillette,
Kellogg’s, Scotts and T-Mobile. Registration and event information is available at AllStarGame.com/Run.
Environmental Efforts
The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field, the first professional sports facility to receive LEED®
Silver certification for both construction and operations, and 2014 MLB All-Star Summer will build on the continued
commitment to the environment by Major League Baseball and the partnership with Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC) by incorporating a wide variety of environmentally-sensitive efforts, including the following:

Raising awareness about the importance of “going green” via public service
announcements
in-stadium
and
environmental
education
materials
online
(MLB.com/green);

“All-Star Green Teams” will be on hand throughout All-Star Week events wearing branded
organic cotton T-shirts and circulating throughout the ballpark collecting recyclable
materials

Prioritizing recycling and composting of materials at events throughout MLB All-Star
Week, including printing on recycled materials and working with concessionaries to
recycle grease and oil to be used as bio fuel;

Addressing energy and water usage through efficiency measures and by investing in
renewable energy offsets and water restoration credits.

Reducing the carbon footprint of All-Star Week events by investing in carbon offsets and
encouraging fans to walk or take public transit throughout the week.
For more MLB All-Star Week information, please visit AllStarGame.com, the All-Star Game Twitter account
(@AllStarGame) and All-Star Game Facebook account (Facebook.com/MLBAllStarGame).
About the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 85th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 15th in Minneapolis 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 Target Field. At the
ballpark, the events will include Taco Bell All-Star Sunday on July 13th featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell
All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, and Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 14th featuring the MLB Home Run
Derby on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. Outside of the ballpark, fans will have an opportunity to experience All-Star Summer
through a variety of special events including T-Mobile All-Star FanFest, the five-day interactive fan festival; and the MLB All-Star Red
Carpet Show presented by Chevrolet, a free parade of All-Stars. The Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally on FOX, broadcast
on ESPN Radio and will be shown around the world by Major League Baseball International. For more information about 2014 All-Star
Summer, visit AllStarGame.com.
###
Contact:
Matt Bourne or Steve Arocho, Major League Baseball, (212) 931-7878, @MLB_PR
Kevin Smith or Chris Iles, Minnesota Twins, (612) 659-3400, @Twins