Beltran pitching in for Hispanic students in St. Louis

MIAMI -- Carlos Beltran has been helping the Cardinals from the minute he stepped on the field in 2012. But the seven-time All-Star will be helping off the field in St. Louis, too.

Beltran and his wife, Jessica, partnered with the Hispanic Arts Council to create the Carlos Beltran Scholarship to benefit underprivileged Hispanic college-bound students in St. Louis and its surrounding areas.

"Jessica and I feel very blessed to give back to the Hispanic students of St. Louis," Beltran said. "Education and opportunity are extremely important to us, and we've been able to see the positive impact created with the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico. Now, to have the opportunity to help these kids locally, with the assistance of Professor [Virginia] Braxs and the Hispanic Arts Council, we couldn't be more excited to make an impact in the community that has welcomed us with open arms."

Beltran's scholarship program aims to support aspiring Hispanic youth in their senior year of high school to advance their college studies. The scholarship will reward the effort, hard work, responsibility and individual academic merits of Hispanic students who are admitted to accredited institutions of higher learning, community colleges or four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

The scholarship will be funded through Beltran's donations to the Hispanic Arts Council of St. Louis' Carlos Beltrán Scholarship Fund. In order to qualify for the award, at least one of the applicant's grandparents must have been Hispanic.

The Beltrans will serve on the scholarship committee that evaluates applications and selects the winners. The Carlos Beltrán Scholarship will be awarded for the 2013-14 academic year in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 10, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.