Event on July 26-27 will welcome participants from Tee Ball through adult to Modern Woodmen Park
DAVENPORT, Iowa. (June 26, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits are giving fans and people across the Quad Cities region the chance to swing for the fences at Modern Woodmen Park, all to benefit the Bandit Scholars Program. Registration is open for the team's first-ever Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby presented by Modern Woodmen of America and Triumph Community Bank on Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27.
The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby will include a Minors Division, with participants from Tee Ball through age 17, and a Majors Division, including all ages at a competitive level. The Minors Division event will take place Saturday, July 26, and the Majors Division event will be Sunday, July 27. Participants receive a free River Bandits T-shirt and a ticket to a River Bandits game. Non-participants are welcome to catch balls in the outfield of Modern Woodmen Park during the derby.
"The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby offers a tremendous opportunity for people in the Quad Cities to enjoy a memorable experience on the field of Modern Woodmen Park," said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. "The best part is all of the proceeds of this unique event will go to the great cause of paying college tuition for Quad Cities area students - perhaps in the future including one of the young participants in this first-ever Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby!"
Registration will begin at 8 a.m. each day, and competition will begin at 9 a.m. each day.
The Minors Division will have three competitions - Single A (players in Tee Ball through levels under age 10), Double A (ages 10 to 12), and Triple A (ages 13 to 17). The top three winners in each division will receive prizes. Registration is $20 per participant, and each hitter can choose to hit baseballs or softballs.
Majors Division will include all ages at a competitive level, hitting softball pitches. The winner will receive $200 cash and a 2015 suite rental as prizes. Registration is $30 per participant and limited to the first 50 who register.
All fans are welcome to catch balls in the outfield during the derby. Non-participants for the home run derby are asked to make a $5 donation to the Bandit Scholars Program.
The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby registration form is available at Modern Woodmen Park and at www.riverbandits.com. More information is available by contacting Brittany Carter at 563-333-2736 or emailing Brittany@riverbandits.com.
The Bandit Scholars Program was founded in 2009 by the Quad Cities River Bandits' team owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt; the program pays the entire first year of college tuition for Quad Cities area students through the Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship and the Bandit Scholarship. The Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late Keith Lucier, who passed away in 2009. The Bandit Scholars Program and, in particular, the Lucier Scholarship, honors Keith's strong belief in higher education and celebrates his love for sports, learning, charitable endeavors and the Quad Cities community. Lucier graduated from Bettendorf High School and the University of Iowa. He was the River Bandits' Assistant General Manager in 2008.
The scholarships are administered by the non-profit Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, and recipients are selected by a committee made up of Lucier's family, friends, River Bandits' staff, CFGRB volunteers and area community leaders. Awarded annually to a Quad Cities area high school senior, each scholarship includes a summer internship with the River Bandits following the winner's first year of college. Tax-free donations to the scholarship fund can be made through the CFGRB web site.
The scholarships are funded by fan donations and fund-raising efforts by the River Bandits and the team's ownership. Fundraising events include the annual Frost Fest, Bandits Race to Home 5K and Bandit Scholars Home Run Derby, set for July 26-27 this season. Through the partnership with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, donors can make online, tax-deductible donations to the Bandit Scholars Program by going to www.cfgrb.org. Fans can also visit the Bandit Scholars Program page on the team's website, www.riverbandits.com, and follow a link to the Bandit Scholars page on the Foundation's website. Beginning with the next scholarship application cycle in 2015, students from eight Quad Cities-area counties - Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside Counties of Illinois, and Cedar, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott Counties of Iowa - will be eligible for the scholarships.
UP NEXT: The River Bandits return home for the Fourth of July weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. game Friday, July 4, to be followed by Fourth of July Fireworks presented by Smart Toyota of the Quad Cities, WLLR and WQAD. Game tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com. To order any of the River Bandits 2014 ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
