The Pittsburgh Pirates will visit a local elementary school as part of the annual Clemente Day celebration this morning beginning at 11 a.m. During the event, the Clemente Family, Pirates Charities, Pirates players, coaches and their wives as well as executives and staff join together to hand-deliver supplies and meet with the children at Pittsburgh King PreK-8 School, a Pittsburgh Public School.
This is the seventh year the Pirates and Pirates Charities have visited a Pittsburgh Public School to deliver needed supplies as part of the team's annual Clemente Day festivities. Last year, the Pirates visited the students of Arsenal Elementary School. This initiative is held in conjunction with MLB's Clemente Day, which celebrates the life and community service legacy of Pirates Hall-of-Famer Roberto Clemente.
During the Pirates visit to Pittsburgh King, the students and staff will be treated to a special lunch, provided by Pirates Partner Chick-fil-A and an indoor festival with activities such as crafts, balloon twisting, caricaturists, dancing and more. The Roberto Clemente Family will also address the students.
A short program will take place at noon to talk with the students about Roberto Clemente and his impact on society and what he and his family mean to the Pirates as well as baseball. The students will also hear about the importance of healthy eating and learn about the weekend Backpack Program operated by the Pittsburgh Community Food bank and sponsored by Pirates Charities.
After the program, Pirates players, coaches and their wives will be joined by Pirates staff to distribute backpacks full of single-serving food bank items and school supplies to each student. In each backpack is information on the Food Bank's Backpack Program as well as food items such as microwaveable pasta, oatmeal, cereal bars and more. In addition, each backpack includes needed school supplies such as pens, pencils, notepads, crayons, glue sticks and more.
The backpacks were prepared on Tuesday at PNC Park with the help of Pirates players, coaches and their wives and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. This season Pirates Charities has partnered to support The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's backpack program. Pirates players Jared Hughes and Josh Harrison have each contributed sizeable donations to the initiative and a portion of the proceeds from the "2016 Pirates Charities Night on ROOT SPORTS" were also allocated to support the program.
As the Pirates continue their celebration of Clemente, prior to tonight's game-- during a special pregame ceremony at PNC Park-the Pirates 2016 Roberto Clemente Award will be presented to Pirates' reliever Jared Hughes. Hughes was nominated for the national award as he combines outstanding skills on the baseball field with devoted work in the community. In addition to the award, Hughes will be presented with a framed, replica Roberto Clemente jersey in honor of his work in the community.
As part of the MLB-wide initiative, Hughes will join 29 other players, one from every club, and will be eligible to win the 2016 Major League Baseball Clemente Award. This overall award will be given during the 2016 World Series. Fans are able to vote for Hughes now through Sunday, October 2 using the hashtag #VOTEHUGHES on Twitter and Facebook.
To enhance Roberto Clemente Day and celebrate the Pirate great's enduring legacy, the Pirates and Major League Baseball have established SEAT 21-a seat dedicated to a local hero in the community who will also be recognized on Roberto Clemente Day. Tonight's Pirates SEAT 21 Award winner is Kim Tillotson Fleming, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Hefren-Tillotson, Inc.
In addition to her prestigious position, Kim is a great community leader. She is committed and active in the greater Pittsburgh region. Kim is also a long-time supporter of the United Way. She was Allegheny County's 2013 Campaign Chairperson. Because of her example, Hefren-Tillotson employees are also active in several other, local non-profit groups including the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Hosanna Industries, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, the March of Dimes and more. Kim has been recognized for her community efforts by several well-known organizations and institutions, most recently as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Governor's selection as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania for extraordinary service and contributions to the Commonwealth in October 2015.
For more information about Pirates Charities please visit pirates.com/piratescharities.