Pitch In For Baseball & Softball And State Farm Equips 36 High School Baseball And Softball Teams At 12 Schools In Milwaukee

MPS ATHLETICS RECEIVES $25,000 DONATION FOR BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL EQUIPMENT

State Farm® has collaborated with Pitch In For Baseball & Softball (PIFBS) to donate $25,000 in new and gently used baseball and softball equipment to the Milwaukee Public Schools Athletics Department. David Rhode, CEO and Founder of PIFBS, will present the equipment to student athletes during a ceremony on Tuesday, February 28 at 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium of MPS Hamilton High School, 6215 W. Warnimont Avenue.

The donation will benefit over 200 male and female athletes who play JV and varsity baseball and softball in Milwaukee Public Schools. Approximately 45 athletes, wearing their team jerseys, will join MPS coaches and staff to accept the equipment and thank the donors. Several athletes will be available for media interviews following the ceremony.

“This is a major donation for MPS Athletics and the students we serve,” says Bill Molbeck, MPS Commissioner of Interscholastic Academics and Athletics. “We are grateful to State Farm® and Pitch In For Baseball & Softball for helping us enhance the experience of playing sports in Milwaukee Public Schools.”

“Not only are more kids in Milwaukee going to be able to play baseball and softball, but we know from past school-based programs that being part of a team will lead to great outcomes like higher school attendance and increased academic performance for these boys and girls,” says David Rhode, CEO and Founder of Pitch In For Baseball.

“State Farm® agents and associates pitch in for our customers and their communities every day. Supporting local schools in providing opportunities to participate in baseball and softball programs is a natural extension of who we are,” said Leif Roll, Marketing Vice President of State Farm.

Founded in 2005, Pitch In For Baseball & Softball (PIFBS) is the central organization for the collection and redistribution of new and gently used youth baseball and softball equipment to underserved communities around the world. PIFBS had distributed equipment and uniforms to more than 90 countries worldwide and more than 500 communities around the United States impacting over 600,000 children in need. Based outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PIFBS is a 501 c 3 not for profit organization. For more information, visit www.pifbs.wpengine.com or contact David Rhode (drhode@pifb.org) at (215)479-5293.

The mission of State Farm® is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto, home and individual life insurance in the United States. Its 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve more than 83 million policies and accounts – nearly 81 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 35 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit www.statefarm.com.

Milwaukee Recreation is a department of Milwaukee Public Schools, established in 1911 to provide the entire community with affordable and enriching recreational activities. For more information, contact Brian Hoffer (Brian@ MilwaukeeRecreation.net) at (414) 475-8938 or Viviana Buzo (Viviana@MilwaukeeRecreation.net) at (414) 475-8499.