Minnesota Twins and Hope Week

03/23/2011 10:59 AM ET Minnesota Twins Announce Plans for "Hope Week" Week of Giving and Volunteerism will run from June 12-18

Twins Headlines

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Twins Community Fund announced today the creation of Hope Week in 2011. Hope Week will take place from June 12 to 18 and is an entire week dedicated to giving back to the community, as well as volunteer efforts led by Twins players.
Hope Week will begin with Justin Morneau's annual Casino Night public fundraiser for Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis on June 12. During each of the remaining days of the week, different Twins players will lead groups of teammates to participate in a number of preselected volunteer activities at various locations, agencies, and organizations. The activities will be a surprise to the recipients.
Also during the week, Joe and Lisa Nathan, along with the Minnesota Twins Wives Organization, will host their annual Hang with the Majors public event to raise funds for military families.
The week will culminate on Saturday, June 18 with an on-field event where deserving youth from Twins Territory will have a chance to meet the entire Twins team. This event will replace the team's annual Autograph Party.
"The move to Target Field's more intimate setting changed the Autograph Party event as such that we were forced to limit ticket sales and could not offer the free activities that we did on the Metrodome's spacious plaza," said Kevin Smith, Executive Director of Public Affairs. "The Autograph Party became simply an autograph session for a relatively limited number of fans and a growing number of memorabilia collectors, so fewer and fewer families and children were able to attend this event."
The launch of Hope Week will allow the Minnesota Twins to touch many more people in more meaningful ways. Hope Week will be a week long effort by the entire organization to reach into the community and make a difference in peoples' lives. The week of events will also operate as a call to action for Twins fans everywhere to volunteer in their communities.
About the Twins Community Fund Established as a nonprofit organization in 1991, the mission of the Twins Community Fund is to enrich local and regional communities by providing resources for the healthy development of children and families through and association with baseball, softball and the Minnesota Twins. The Twins Community Fund is governed by a board of directors representative of the Upper Midwest. Target, Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Best Buy, U.S. Bank and Delta Air Lines are Cornerstone Partners; contributing annually to the Twins Community Fund. For more information or to make a contribution, visit www.twinsbaseball.com/community.