Community - MLB.com

[Year-Round Activities]
[Off-Season]
>> PirateFest
•
At this annual three-day event in Pittsburgh, Pirates’ players,
coaches and front office personnel have the chance to interact
directly with fans and thank them for their continued support
[below, top] .
>> Pirates Caravan
• Every year, Pirates players and front office personnel take a two-
week trip throughout Pittsburgh, Ohio and West Virginia, making
stops to visit fans throughout the tri-state region [below, bottom] .
[Spring Training in Bradenton, Florida]
The Pirates will celebrate their 40th anniversary in
Bradenton, FL in 2008. Throughout that long history,
the Pirates have contributed in many ways to the
Bradenton community.
>> Benefit Games
• On three select dates during Spring Training,
the Pirates donate 50% of ticket sales
proceeds to three Bradenton area non-profit
organizations.
>> Opening Day Book Drive
• Over 250 new or lightly used children’s books
were donated by fans last season during a oneday
book drive to benefit Wakeland Elementary
School. The books were given to the school as
part of Read Across America Day.
Matt Capps and Josh Sharpless visit with a patient at Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton.
>> Champs Sports PirateFest
• This street festival takes place on an annual
basis outside McKechnie Field before the
game. Activities for the entire family, including
free autographs from Pirates players, are
available during this mini-version of the annual
Pittsburgh off-season event.
>> Foundation for Dreams silent auction
• In conjunction with Pirates Charities, fans at
McKechnie Field helped raise money for the
Foundation for Dreams by bidding on sports
memorabilia.
>> Hospital and Boys & Girls Club Visits
• The Pirates look to touch the lives of youngsters
in their Spring Training home, as often as they
do in Pittsburgh. Each spring, Pirates’ players
visit children in area hospitals [above] as well as
the kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Bradenton.
2007 PIRATES COMMUNITY REPORT 25