From Press Release
For the sixth consecutive year, MLB and its Clubs will raise awareness for childhood cancer during all games on Wednesday, September 1st for a special league-wide day in home ballparks. MLB’s “Childhood Cancer Awareness Day,” held during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), will combine a visual and ceremonial demonstration of support for the cause with outreach to local hospitals treating young patients in their communities. Approximately 15,000 children younger than 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States.
On Wednesday, September 1st, all on-field personnel, including players, managers, coaches, and umpires will wear gold ribbon decals and wristbands during all games. Home Clubs also may plan to feature ceremonial activities in their ballparks. Club activations may include youth participation in pregame ceremonies, virtual visits from players and mascots, and other special recognitions. Nonprofit partners for Clubs may include local hospital partners or organizations focused on childhood cancer, such as American Cancer Society, SU2C, Starlight Children’s Foundation, or others. Clubs on the road on September 1st may select another home game to observe Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. *Attached are a few examples of unique Club activations.*
As an extension of MLB’s longstanding relationship with Starlight Children’s Foundation, 15 Clubs have been selected to receive Starlight Nintendo Switch Lites which will be donated to a local children’s cancer hospital or hospital pediatric cancer care unit. The Starlight Nintendo Switch Lites will also include complimentary versions of R.B.I. Baseball 21. The 15 Clubs include the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.
Childhood cancer awareness efforts in previous seasons have included special batting practice t-shirts, online campaigns to empower fans to become fundraisers for pediatric cancer research, and donations to local children’s hospitals. MLB and Clubs have supported the fight against cancer through a variety of initiatives for many years. As Stand Up To Cancer’s founding donor, Major League Baseball and its Clubs have pledged more than $50 million to SU2C’s collaborative cancer research programs, providing invaluable support. Launched in 2013, the work of the Stand Up To Cancer – St. Baldrick’s Foundation Pediatric Cancer Dream Team has helped develop new treatments for difficult to treat pediatric leukemias which have been approved by the FDA. Stand Up To Cancer’s pediatric cancer research is one of the largest segments of the organization’s portfolio, with 18 team-science grants, including four of SU2C’s signature “Dream Teams,” and 11 individual awards to early-career Innovative Research Grants, supporting 43 clinical trials with more than 1,200 pediatric patients enrolled. MLB has recognized SU2C at its jewel events since the 2009 World Series.
Editor’s Note: If you want to know how to support a childhood cancer charity in the Greater St. Louis Area, check out Rainbows For Kids. CLICK HERE.
