Pirates Charities Spring Training Golf Classic
Feb. 22, 2008 • River Strand Golf & Country Club Pirates Charities hosted the Inaugural Pirates Charities Spring Training Golf Classic in beautiful Bradenton, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 22. The tournament was held at the River Strand Golf & Country Club. The golf event benefited the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County. Each foursome had the opportunity to play with a Pirates celebrity.

Celebrities who participated were: Team President Frank Coonelly and General Manager Neal Huntington; Pirates Broadcasters Greg Brown and Steve Blass; Coaches Jeff Andrews and Tony Beasley; Pirates players Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Capps, Paul Maholm, John Grabow, Jack Wilson, Sean Burnett, Adam LaRoche, Neil Walker, Jaret Wright and Xavier Nady; and Pirates Alumni Kent Tekulve, Bill Mazeroski, Jim Rooker, Bill Virdon, Manny Sanguillen and Milt May.

The event was a tremendous success, bringing in over $19,000 for Pirates Charities and the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County!


Pirates Charities 2nd Annual In-Park Silent Auction
March 16, 17, 19, 2008 In addition to the funds raised during their 1st Annual Pirates Charities Spring Training Golf Classic on February 22 at River Strand Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, Pirates Charities also hosted their 2nd Annual In-Park Silent Auction over three days to help raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County to purchase a Pirates-themed bus to transport children participating in Club activities.

Over the three days, fans had the opportunity to bid on many great silent auction items, including sports memorabilia across all professional leagues including: a jersey signed by Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche and a 2006 N.L. batting champ Freddy Sanchez autographed bat; a Pittsburgh Penguins hero Mario Lemieux framed and autographed jersey and new star Evgeni Malkin signed jersey; jerseys signed by Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer Mel Blount and current quarterback Ben Roethlisberger; Cleveland Cavaliers team signed basketball including LeBron James; 2006 National League and American League team signed All-Star Baseballs; various autographed baseballs throughout the league, professional hockey pucks and much, much more!


Pirates Charities Check Presentation to the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County
March 21, 2008 Pirates Charities presented the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County with a check for $30,000 from both the golf classic and in-park auctions during a pregame on-field ceremony at McKechnie Field on March 21st. The Pirates-themed bus was also parked outside the main entrance for all fans to see.

Pirates Players visit Wakeland Elementary
March 19, 2008
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Pirates pitchers Paul Maholm and Matt Capps, along with Pirates centerfielder Nate McLouth joined Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare and the Pirate Parrot as they visited Wakeland Elementary School of International Studies, which is located directly across the street from Pirate City in Bradenton, FL. During their visit, they helped the cafeteria staff serve a ball-park themed lunch to all the students and then played three games of a Pirates version of "Deal or No Deal". As a result, all 600-plus children walked away with a Pirates replica cap and the experience of a lifetime after spending part of their day with Major League Baseball players.


Canned Food Drive
March 26 and 29, 2008 Fans coming to McKechnie Field on either of these dates brought with them canned goods for the Food Bank of Manatee County. Because of their generosity, $446 in donations and 374 pounds of food were collected!


PirateFest
March 8, 20088 For the 3rd Annual Spring Training PirateFest event, fans came down to the ballpark early on Saturday, March 8th to enjoy all the fun festivities on the street outside of McKechnie Field. Festivities included: 10 players signed autographs, the DeSoto Crewe brought out their Pirate Ship, fans were able to get their photo taken for their personalized McKechnie Field postcard, Corvettes were displayed throughout the street, John McCollister signed his book "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,", and prizes were distributed by sponsors.


Book Drive
February 27 and 29, and March 2, 2008 Fans were encouraged to bring new or lightly used children's books to the ballpark. Books were collected from until the first pitch inside the McKechnie Field main entrance. We collected and donated 250+ books from the book drive! Those were then donated to Wakeland Elementary.


Read Across America Day
Celebrated on March 4, 2008 Wakeland decorated their library as a tribute to Dr. Seuss.Pirates players Sean Giblin, Rudy Owens, Kyle McPherson, Adam Simon, and Charles Benoit visited during the afternoon, reading Dr. Seuss books to the children.Tony Mansolino ended the day by reading "Dreams Will Come, Dreams Will Go," a children's book which he authored and published.


Pirates Spring Training Benefit Games
February 27, March 2, 21 and 29, 2008 On selected dates, the Pirates donated half the proceeds collected through ticket sales to non-profit organizations in the Bradenton area.

• On Feb. 27, 2008, the Pirates donated all ticket proceeds to the Manatee Education Foundation; $5,285 went to the Manatee Community College and $5,285 went to Wakeland Elementary School!

• On March 2, 2008, Pirates donated $2 per tickets purchased to the United Way of Manatee County. The United Way of Manatee County received a check for $11,646!

• On March 21, 2008, Pirates donated $1 per ticket purchased to the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County. The Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County received $5,815!

• On March 29, 2008, Pirates donated $1 per ticket purchased to the Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee County. They received a total of $5,338!

Wakeland Elementary School Student of the Month Luncheons 30 students are honored monthly for their academic excellence throughout the school year by the Pirates in the Pirate City dining hall.The Pirates provide lunch for the students and their guests and a Pirates player encourages them to keep up the good work.The Pirates provide Student of the Month certificates and prizes for each of the students.


Inflatable Speed Pitch The Pirates journey throughout Manatee County with their inflatable speed pitch.The Pirates inflatable speed pitch provides fun for all ages, appearing at events benefiting countless community groups, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County, Resource Connection for Kids, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Meals on Wheels, Little Leagues and many many more.The Pirates will also bring the inflatable speed pitch to a series of American Cancer Society Relay for Life events across Manatee County this year.