FLORIDA MARLINS BASEBALL CLUB

The Florida Marlins Baseball Club is an active partner in the South Florida Community. By supporting community and charitable causes, the team is committed to the betterment of the South Florida community through its support of educational, athletic, and community service programs.

The Marlins is the single largest partner of Adopt-A-Classroom ,a Miami-based nonprofit organization that partners members of the community with individual public school classrooms throughout South Florida. The Marlins have made a tremendous impact in the lives of teachers and students in the community. To teachers, the Marlins are a source of much needed support. They provide $500 worth of resources for each classroom adopted along with a member of the Club to serve as the classroom partner. The partner could be an individual player, coach, or staff member. These resources enhance the learning environment with excitement and creativity. To the students, the Marlins are not an intangible entity; they are friends who visit the classrooms, share experiences, and provide much needed supplies. Sixty-six classrooms were adopted during the 2000-2001 school year thanks to a $5,000 donation from the Club’s former Vice Chair. They are back to 56 classrooms this school year, 2001-2002, based on a $28,000 donation.

The World of Baseball is a curriculum-enhancement program. The program uses baseball to make learning a fun and exciting experience. In support of this program, the Marlins designate one week in May as World of Baseball Week when players, coaches, and broadcasters visit approximately 35 local schools. In addition to the appearances and learning opportunities, each school visited receives 1,000 tickets to an upcoming Marlins game.

The Marlins sponsor Books and Bats. This is a summer reading program that rewards students with tickets to Marlins’ games. This program has resulted in youths reading over half a million books during the summer. They also sponsor the A-Ball Program that rewards students for progress in attitude, academics, and attendance. In its third year, the A-Ball Program reached more than 4,500 classrooms in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The Marlins also sponsor High School Media Day. This program offers aspiring journalists and photographers the chance to experience working in sports media.