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Bulls Raise Over $20,000 For Durham Youth |
Between a charity auction and a grant from the Major League Baseball Player Association, the Durham Bulls have raised over $20,000 to provide athletic equipment to the inner-city youth of Durham. The Bulls received a grant for almost $17,000 from MLB’s “Baseball Tomorrow Fund,” and their first-ever Durham Bulls Youth Athletic League (DBYAL) Charity Auction brought in $5,800, a whopping $1,800 over their goal.
The auction took place on Friday, August 3, during the Bulls match-up with Charlotte Knights. Auction items were set up on tables on the concourse. Fans were able to bid on items ranging from an autographed 8×10 photo of Tampa Bay Devil Rays catcher Toby Hall to a Sports Illustrated issue featuring Duke Blue Devils’ Shane Battier and Mike Dunleavy on the cover and autographed by both men. They also auctioned off individual clinics with Bulls players, a night in the radio booth, a night in one of their skyboxes, and more.
The Bulls were awarded a grant of nearly $17,000 to buy equipment for their league from a foundation set up between Major League Baseball’s Commissioner’s office and the Major League Baseball Player Association to help provide equipment to inner-city kids. Established in 1994, the Durham Bulls Athletic League benefits children from Durham’s inner-city public housing projects. It started out as a baseball league, but now includes soccer. The DBYAL provides all equipment, from gloves to uniforms, to over 500 kids each year.
Bulls Asst. General Manager Mike Birling serves on the board for the league. He said, “We are astounded by the support the community showed to this project.”
