· By Whitney Hunt
CHARLESTON DIRTY BIRDS DONATE OVER $75,000 TO LITTLE LEAGUES
12 Local Little Leagues Join the Dirty Birds in Training Program
(Charleston, WV – April 11, 2024) – The Dirty Birds’ outreach to youth sports expanded in 2024 through the Dirty Birds in Training Program. Since February, the Dirty Birds have partnered with 12 local little leagues and donated over $75,000 in total.
As a part of the program, each little league will “takeover the ballpark” with a ticketing fundraiser on a selected weekend Dirty Bird home game. The little leaguers can play catch and interact with the Dirty Birds players prior to the game and be a part of a little league pre-game parade. As a part of the partnership, the Dirty Birds logo is printed on each league’s jersey and the team mascot, Dusty, made a few surprise appearances at the league’s opening day ceremonies.
"It is a tremendous source of pride for us being the professional baseball team in West Virginia. We created this program to reach and support as many youth baseball and softball players as possible, and we hope to continue growing every year,” said Andy Shea, Dirty Birds Owner and CEO. “It's my favorite thing every season seeing hundreds of kids at the Ballpark wearing their uniforms and enjoying a Dirty Birds game. It'll be even cooler this year seeing all the jerseys with a Dirty Birds logo!"
The Dirty Birds in Training Program is full for this year, but Little Leagues can still participate with the Dirty Birds this season with fundraisers and the Field of Dream programs. For more information about partnering with the Dirty Birds, leagues can contact jgearin@dirtybirdsbaseball.com or go to www.dirtybirdsbaseball.com.
Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 25-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.