Rays to honor Charlotte County veterans, school employees, Little Leaguers
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-Beginning with their spring training opener, the Tampa Bay Rays will honor Charlotte County school employees, veterans and Little Leaguers on different occasions throughout March at Charlotte Sports Park.
The Rays Grapefruit League opener on Thursday, March 5 vs. the defending American League East Division Champion Baltimore Orioles will be Military Appreciation Day at Charlotte Sports Park, a special tribute to the men and women of Charlotte County who have served their country. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a Rays military-themed T-shirt and the USSOCOM Parachute Team will deliver an American flag and first pitch ball as part of a special pregame presentation. The Rays have donated 500 tickets through Charlotte County Veterans Services for local veterans and their families to attend the game, many of whom will receive special recognition. The Rays will also be assisting veterans in their efforts to construct the Vietnam Wall of Southwest Florida in Charlotte County, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Any fan donating to the project that day will receive an Alex Cobb military-themed bobblehead.
The week of spring break will be Charlotte County Public Schools Employee Appreciation Week. The Rays will offer the approximately 2,200 teachers and employees of the Charlotte County Public School system free tickets to one of three spring training games at Charlotte Sports Park. Charlotte County Public School employees need only to present their employee identification badge at the Charlotte Sports Park box office the day of the game to receive a free General Admission ticket to one of three Rays games: March 8 vs. the Philadelphia Phillies, March 10 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates or March 12 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.
As part of that initiative, Rays players will visit various Charlotte County Schools to promote reading, the school system's current primary focus.
On March 15 when the Rays host the New York Mets, the Rays will celebrate Little League Day. Little Leaguers and their coaches from Port Charlotte and North Port Area Little Leagues will receive a free General Admission ticket at the box office on the day of the game by wearing their Little League jersey. This season, the Rays have provided the T-ball teams from each league with all of their jerseys and caps, along with the T-ball teams from more than 50 little leagues in seven counties. Coaches from the leagues also participated in clinics at Tropicana Field as part of the initiative.