San Francisco Giants Community Fund 2012 Education Day to honor Harmon and Sue Burns Scholars

WHAT: Annual Education Day at AT&T Park recognizes both the incoming and graduating classes of the Harmon and Sue Burns Scholars.
Prior to a pre-game ceremony honoring the scholars, the scholars and their families will hear from San Francisco Giants Pitcher George Kontos about the importance of education during a pregame reception.
The Giants Community Fund will also present education grants to Bay Area educational non-profit organizations. This year's recipients include:
- Street Slide Stories
- California Poets in the Schools
- Jamestown Community Center
- The Imagine Bus Project
- Reach Potential Movement

WHEN: Saturday August 11, 2012
10:00 A.M. (Reception - Executive Meeting Room, Suite Level)
12:45 P.M. (Pre-game Home Plate Ceremony)

WHERE: AT&T Park
Members of the press interested in covering the event must be credentialed 24 hours in advance of the event.

WHY: The Giants Community Fund supports numerous programs dedicated to promoting and improving education in our community.  Each year, ten eighth-grade participants of the Junior Giants program are chosen as Harmon & Sue Burns Scholars based on their leadership skills, character, academic potential and Junior Giants involvement.  Each scholar also receives a $2,500 scholarship.  The Harmon and Sue Burns Scholars was named in honor of the late Giants owners Harmon and Sue Burns.

This year's scholars class includes:
- Javier Cardenas, Atwater
- Jose Cruz, Morgan Hill
- Tyler Finck, Cottonwood
- Naomi Hernandez, Hayward
- De'Maurier Jackson, East Palo Alto
- Kilipo Leuea, Hayward
- Westen Meyer, San Luis Obispo
- Ryan Hika, Modesto
- Anastacia Ramirez, Morgan Hill
- Heather Rodriquez-Ortiz, Los Molinos

The Giants Community Fund will also honor this year's graduates from the Harmon & Sue Burns Scholarship Program. All 10 students have graduated from their respective high schools, and are continuing on to higher education. The 2012 group of graduating seniors:
- Cristina Avina, Morgan Hill
- Austi Bankston, Las Vegas
- Sarah England, Atwater
- Steven Golden II, Hayward
- Colin Grothe, Monterey
- Julian Hoaglen, Ukiah
- Nancy Johnson, East Palo Alto
- David Macdonald, Ukiah
- Nathan Madonich, San Bruno
- Jessica Williams, Los Molinos

The Giants Community Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, collaborates with the San Francisco Giants by using baseball as a forum to encourage underserved youth and their families to live healthy, productive lives.  The Fund supports Junior Giants leagues throughout Northern California, Nevada and Oregon and provides assistance to targeted community initiatives in the areas of education, health and violence prevention.  Since its inception in 1991, the Fund has donated more than $14 million to various community programs.