Knocking It Out Of The Park For Charity

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 78,000 baseball fans across the nation stepped into the box to go to bat for four great charitable organizations as part of the 2012 State Farm Go to Bat program, raising $180,000 in donations in a 10-week span beginning at the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby^®.

The 2012 season was the third for Go to Bat, an online, charitable giving initiative that helps charities "get to a better state." During the program's 10-week run, State Farm invited baseball fans to choose one of four charities before taking swings in an online home run derby at statefarm.com/gotobat. Each week, State Farm entered participants into a drawing, with the winning individual earning an $18,000 donation to his or her chosen charity, as well as a VIP trip for two to a 2012 MLB World Series game.

This year, the four charities benefitting from Go to Bat are the American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Teach For America and Habitat for Humanity. These charities represent the State Farm focus on core charity pillars which help build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

"Go to Bat really brings to life the commitment State Farm makes to helping neighborhoods 'get to a better state' by teaming up with community members and charities from coast-to-coast," said Justin Reckamp, State Farm Marketing Analyst. "We're very pleased with the way so many fans stepped up to the plate to support these great charities."

The Go to Bat program officially culminates at Game 4 of the 2012 MLB World Series. Prior to the first pitch of that evening's game between the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park, the 10 weekly winners of Go to Bat will be recognized during an on-field ceremony with representatives from State Farm and Major League Baseball.  

The 10 weekly winners who will participate in the on-field ceremony are:

• Tonya Chiles (Asheville, N.C.) who went to bat for Habitat for Humanity, a charity close to her heart, as her family lived in one of the first homes built by the organization.
• Judy Hunchar (Bloomberg, Pa.) who went to bat for Teach For America, an appropriately chosen charity for a retired teacher.
• Kathryn Simoni (Norwood, Mass.) who went to bat for the American Red Cross, which she supported because of the organization's strong track record of helping people in need.
• Nicole Donnelly (Philadelphia) who went to bat for the American Red Cross. Donnelly has worked as a lifeguard and instructor in American Red Cross programs since she was in high school.
• Jacqueline Curran (San Francisco) who went to bat for Teach For America. Teaching is a personal passion for Curran, who teaches first grade in the Bay Area.
• Sharon Gayney (Redford, Mich.) who went to bat for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Gayney, an avid Tigers fan, chose the organization after hearing Detroit sportscaster Rod Allen discuss how important the organization was in his life.
• Jeff Smith (Palm Harbor, Fla.) who went to bat for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Smith chose the organization because he strongly supports any charity benefitting children.
• Leticia Kozbial (Sandusky, Ohio) who went to bat for Boys & Girls Clubs of America because she believes the mission of the Clubs is important to our future.
• Sarah Strumbo (Scotts Valley, Calif.) who went to bat for Habitat for Humanity, an organization to which her family has volunteered time and money to support in the past.
• Jon Pool (St. Robert, Mo.) who went to bat for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Growing up, Pool was a member of the Boys & Girls Club in Little Rock, Ark., and continues to support the organization so other children can have the opportunities he did.

About State Farm
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of car insurance in the U.S. and a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

About Major League Baseball Properties
The Major League Baseball Clubs formed Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) in 1966 as the Club's agent for marketing and trademark licensing and protection. Major League Baseball Properties is responsible for managing consumer licensing activities, developing national advertising campaigns, cultivating sponsorship opportunities with major consumer brands and corporations, growing the game and the business of baseball outside the United States and creating national marketing programs in conjunction with Clubs, broadcast rights holders and national sponsors. MLBP also operates a full-service video and audio production unit (Major League Baseball Productions), a publishing division and stock photo licensing agency, and manages logistics for the All-Star Game and World Series as well as all other special events. For more information on Major League Baseball, log on to www.MLB.com.

SOURCE State Farm