Marlins Foundation awards $100,000 to 2015 charity partners

The Marlins Foundation today announced the 2015 Marlins Charity Partners: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, Special Olympics Florida - Miami-Dade, Up2Us Sports and Young At Art Museum. The four organizations, who will each receive a $25,000 contribution from the Marlins Foundation, will be honored during a pregame ceremony with check presentations on Friday, April 10^th, at 6:30 p.m. at Marlins Park.

"Marlins Charity Partners are a signature example of our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and reflect our values-driven mission of philanthropy and service," said Marlins President David Samson. "These impactful organizations do great work in the community, and we are honored to support their efforts in South Florida."

In addition to financial support, Marlins Charity Partners activate specific programming aligned with the mission of the Marlins Foundation. These partnerships are celebrated with Charity Partner Days at Marlins Park for each organization. Below is a brief description of how the Marlins will support the newly announced Charity Partners: 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami - The Marlins and Big Brothers Big Sisters will launch a pilot Sports Buddies Program, a highly targeted one-to-one mentoring initiative serving middle and high school students in need of a positive role model. 

* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: April 24^th, Marlins vs. Nationals

Special Olympics Florida - Miami-Dade - For the second consecutive year, the Marlins will serve as the official sponsor of Special Olympics Softball in Miami. The partnership will provide a higher threshold of opportunity for training, competition, personal growth and community engagement for the athletes in the program.

* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: May 1^st, Marlins vs. Phillies

Up2Us Sports - The Marlins will partner with Up2Us Sports to conduct a training program for coaches who will receive a Certification in Sports Based Youth Development (SBYD). SBYD coaches understand the importance of leveraging the sports setting to achieve positive outcomes around physical, mental, social and emotional skills.

* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: June 26^th, Marlins vs. Dodgers

Young At Art Museum - In their second year as a Marlins Charity Partner, YAA will develop an Artist Residency Program for students and teachers at Marlins Ayudan Partner Schools. The Artist Residency Program will integrate art and literacy through the student's excitement for baseball.

* Charity Partner Day at Marlins Park: July 31^st, Marlins vs. Padres