Go to Bat(TM) for Charity and Help Them Win $18,000 a Week

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, State Farm and Major League Baseball (MLB) are rallying fans to swing for the fences to benefit outstanding charitable organizations. Fans can support causes that make a difference in communities across the nation through the Go to Bat program, an online, charitable giving initiative driven by a commitment State Farm makes to helping communities "get to a better state." Fans can win a VIP trip for two to the 2012 World Series in addition to winning an $18,000 donation to the charity they choose to support.

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Starting today, fans are invited to visit www.statefarm.com/gotobat and play the State Farm Go to Bat game. Each participant selects one of four deserving charities: the American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity or Teach For America, all of which represent charities State Farm supports to help build safer, stronger and better-educated communities. Once a week for 10 weeks, one participating fan will be randomly selected and the charity they chose to support will receive an $18,000 donation. The lucky contestant also will receive a VIP trip for two to the 2012 World Series. A total of 10 winners will be drawn throughout the program, spanning the second half of the MLB season, concluding on September 17.

"State Farm has always been committed to helping communities "get to a better state." Giving baseball fans the opportunity to go to bat for causes that make a difference in their neighborhoods is a perfect example," said Tim Van Hoof, Assistant Vice President-Marketing at State Farm. "We're excited about giving back with every home run hit and encourage everyone out there to go to bat online and swing for the fences."

Simply playing the game gives fans and their chosen charity a chance to win, but each home run hit is an additional entry to win, so every long ball counts. Fans also can increase their chances of winning by playing the Go to Bat game up to three times per day, as well as earning extra home runs each week by inviting friends to play online and sharing their results through online platforms.

To launch the 2012 Go to Bat program, State Farm and MLB will team up to support Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other deserving charities by donating money for each home run hit in the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. For each home run hit with a "Gold Ball," State Farm and MLB together will combine to donate $18,000. For all other home runs hit during the Derby, State Farm will donate $3,000. Members of Kansas City-area Boys & Girls Clubs will be paired with Home Run Derby participants, and the boy or girl paired with the Derby's winner will receive a $50,000 donation from State Farm for his or her individual club.

The State Farm Home Run Derby festivities will be broadcast live on ESPN at 8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT on July 9.

The Go to Bat program will culminate at the 2012 MLB World Series with a pre-game ceremony showcasing its collective impact and recognizing the individual winners and their chosen charities.

Fans can get more information and play the Go to Bat game online at www.statefarm.com/gotobat.

About State Farm
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is 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