Reds Community Fund’s “Field Day” ~ Saturday, March 26

Over 1,000 boys and girls ages 6-15 from 35 Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky youth baseball and softball teams will be participating in the Reds Community Fund’s fifth annual Field Day on Saturday, March 26, 2011.

Field Day is an organized series of community volunteer activities that range from cleaning up baseball fields to volunteering at non-profit organizations.

Hall of Famer Johnny Bench will visit the field renovation project at Bellevue Vets at 9 a.m. to visit with players from Knothole District 22. Johnny is in Cincinnati to dedicate the new exhibit Johnny Bench: A Celebration of Baseball’s Greatest Catcher at the Reds Hall of Fame & Museum, which opens with press conference at Noon on Saturday.

In 2011, the Reds Community Fund will donate over $500,000 to local youth baseball and softball teams for field renovations and to help offset the costs of uniforms, equipment, trophies, field fees, league fees, umpire fees and

year-end banquets. In exchange for receiving funding, teams are required to participate in community service projects and fundraising throughout the baseball season.

Field Day started in 2007 as a way to clean up the baseball fields that had been renovated by the Reds Community Fund.

For the third year in a row, local non-profit Matthew 25: Ministries will also benefit from the efforts of the youth volunteers.