Chevrolet 'Diamonds and Dreams' a Home Run for Youth Baseball and Local Communities

DETROIT, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As Major League Baseball® and millions of fans prepare for the playoffs, Chevrolet and their dealers are preparing to make next season a home run for tomorrow's baseball stars in over 100 communities.

Chevrolet in partnership with The Scotts Company LLC, Ripken Baseball, Ripken Design, Rawlings Sporting Goods, MLB Advanced Media, and Major League Baseball® awarded 100 community youth baseball prizes across the country through the 2011 Chevrolet 'Diamonds and Dreams' program. These 100 prizes included 20 field makeovers, 20 instructional clinics and 60 equipment prizes.  

Twenty (20) field refurbishments will be conducted throughout the country beginning in September of this year.  The 20 field refurbishment recipients include:

• Cresskill/Alpine Baseball Association - Cresskill, NJ
• Carlstadt Girls Softball League - Carlstadt, NJ
• Verona Baseball and Softball League - Verona, NJ
• Medina Youth Baseball Association - Medina, OH
• Trenton Parks & Recreation - Trenton, TN
• Utica Brewers - Utica, NY
• Livermore Smoke (L.G.S.A) - Livermore, CA
• Southern Maine Tomahawks - South Portland, ME
• Bishop Kelley H.S. Softball Program - Tulsa, OK
• Boys and Girls Club - San Francisco, CA
• City of Wetumpka - Wetumpka, AL
• Milton Youth Baseball - Janesville, WI
• Village on Nunda - Nunda, NY
• City of Hastings - Hastings, MN
• Berkeley Township - Bayville, NJ
• Banning Parks & Recreation - Banning, CA
• Urbandale Little League - Urbandale, IA
• Borough of Edgewood - Edgewood, PA
• Byram Township - Stanhope, NJ
• Egypt Memorial Park - Whitehall, PA

Chevrolet and The Scotts Company LLC will work in partnership with Ripken Design, to refurbish the 20 fields. The refurbishments will be done in partnership with the communities based on field needs, and will include modifications focused on the aesthetics and playability of the field by providing Major League quality materials for the renovation.

"Chevrolet's 'Building Diamonds and Dreams' program is another facet of our commitment to youth baseball programs across America," said Phil Caruso, Chevrolet Marketing Manager.  "Every young ball player wants and deserves a 'dream' baseball diamond and Chevrolet along with our partners, are proud to have brought one to the winning communities."

Chevrolet is proud to be the "Official Vehicle of Major League Baseball." Through the Chevy Youth Baseball program, Chevrolet supports youth baseball leagues in communities across the country.  Since its beginning in Atlanta in 2006, Chevy has provided equipment, fundraising support, and baseball clinics to more than 1.9 million youth baseball players and their families, helping to contribute more than $13 million.  More than 1,500 Chevrolet dealerships will provide support for local baseball leagues through the Chevy Youth Baseball program this year.

Scotts, the Official Lawn Care Company of MLB, continues to partner with Chevrolet and MLB on multiple field refurbishments. Scotts believes that it is important to offer youth a safe, reliable field and playing area.  In addition to helping reduce injuries, a strong foundation of thick and lush grass helps to create a beautiful outdoor environment that encourages children to spend time outdoors.

Chevrolet 'Diamonds and Dreams' Program

As part of the Chevrolet 'Diamonds and Dreams' program Chevrolet partnered with The Scotts Company LLC, Ripken Baseball, Ripken Design, Rawlings Sporting Goods, MLB Advanced Media, and Major League Baseball to provide 100 prizes across the country to community youth baseball programs. These 100 prizes included: 1) 20 youth baseball field makeovers, with the 20 field nominees each receiving a prize pack of ScottsMiracle-Gro products; 2) 20 baseball clinics from famed Ripken Baseball; and 3) 60 baseball equipment packages for youth baseball teams from Rawlings.

Baseball fans registered for the Chevrolet 'Diamonds and Dreams' promotion from March 31, 2011 through May 31, 2011.  One hundred winners were drawn from all eligible entries submitted online at www.chevybaseball.com. In addition to winning youth baseball prizes for their community, each of the 100 winners also were entered for a chance to win one of four trips for four to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game® in Phoenix and the chance to win a Chevrolet.  

In 2010, Chevrolet, Scotts, and Ripken Design provided five field makeovers for youth baseball.

To see a before-and-after video of the 2010 Diamonds and Dreams field makeovers, please visit the Chevrolet YouTube channel.

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Sonic, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers "gas-friendly solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended gasoline range, according to EPA estimates. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., the Company operates Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligene® and Substral®. For additional information, visit us at www.scotts.com.

SOURCE The Scotts Company