Power Hitters Step Up to the Plate For Local Boys & Girls Clubs

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- State Farm and Major League Baseball® (MLB), with the help of eight All-Star sluggers, will knock one out of the park for local Kansas City chapters of Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) at the State Farm Home Run Derby on Monday, July 9 at Kauffman Stadium. The Derby pairs returning champion and American League captain Robinson Cano, National League captain Matt Kemp and their teams of home run hitters with eight local youths for a chance to win a $50,000 contribution from State Farm to help their local club "get to a better state®." The State Farm Home Run Derby festivities will be broadcast live on ESPN at 8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT.

Eight members of Kansas City-area clubs will be paired with Home Run Derby participants, and the club member matched with the Derby champion will earn a $50,000 donation from State Farm for their local chapter in support of the BGCA mission to enable young people to reach their full potential and realize great futures.

"State Farm is honored to go to bat with MLB for Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help our country's youth on their paths to be future leaders," said Justin Reckamp, Marketing Analyst for State Farm. "These donations continue to advance our commitment to helping communities 'get to a better state'."

In addition, State Farm and MLB will further their collective support of youth at BGCA with each home run hit at the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby. For each home run hit with a "Gold Ball" at Kauffman Stadium, State Farm and MLB will combine to donate $18,000 to charity/charities. For all other home runs hit during the Derby, State Farm will donate an additional $3,000.

"The generosity of partners like State Farm makes it possible for Boys & Girls Clubs of America to fulfill our commitment to our members and provide high-impact programs that help these young people have great futures," said President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America Jim Clark.  "We couldn't be more appreciative of the support State Farm and Major League Baseball provide for our mission and the opportunities they provide for our young people, both on a national level and in communities across the country, like here in Kansas City."

Player Match Ups:

• David Blauvelt of the Leslie Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, paired with returning champion and American League captain Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees
• Raven House of the Thornberry Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, paired with National League captain Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Phil Dixon of the Wagner Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, paired with Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays
• Bryce Page of the Teen Center Clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lawrence, paired with Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals
• Axton Buchta of Fort Leavenworth Child and Youth Services, paired with Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers
• A'liyah Rogers of the Teen Center Clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lawrence, paired with Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies
• Krista Primers of the Wyandotte City Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, paired with Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Chris Young of the Adams Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka, paired with Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Not only will Boys & Girls Clubs benefit from the long balls blasted at the Home Run Derby, the two team captains also will be going to bat for causes that mean the most to them. A donation of $150,000 will be made to the winning team captain's charity of choice, while the losing team captain's charity will receive $25,000 on behalf of State Farm and MLB. Boys & Girls Clubs of America also will be awarded a $100,000 donation in the name of the winning team's captain.

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

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