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Drum Roll, Please
At the Blizzard Foundation, we look forward to sharing monthly updates to keep you informed of our work and impact in the community. In April, we will be sharing two emails with you. In addition to our monthly newsletter, you will receive a surprise announcement. Watch your inbox for the big reveal. It's our biggest change yet!!
Thank you for your continued support. We have made tremendous progress in a very short time and couldn't have done it without your incredible generosity.
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Johnny Price IV Memorial College Scholarship Applications Due April 1st
Applications for the Johnny Price IV Memorial College Scholarship are being accepted through April 1st. This scholarship is unique because GPA, ACT, and other statistics on or off the baseball field are not considered.
The Johnny Price IV Memorial College Scholarship is open to all high school senior baseball players who exemplify the characteristics of the late Johnny Price IV, a Lakeville standout who often spoke of his desire to help others experience the sense of belonging that comes from being part of a team. Johnny's kindness, empathy, and thoughtfulness toward others will always live on.
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Johnny Price IV
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Past Recipients
2018 Jack Anderson
White Bear Lake High School
2018 Cal Hanson
Champlin Park High School
2018 Derrick Winn
Duluth Marshall High School
2018 Seth Miller
Blaine High School
2017 Cole Albers
Champlin Park High School
2017 Trent Fredenburg
Anoka High School
2016 Willem Aldirch
Duluth East High School
To learn more and apply for the Johnny Price IV Memorial College Scholarship, visit
http://www.theblizzardfoundation.org/johnny-price-iv-memorial-college-scholarship/
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Wiffle Ball Reminder - Come One, Come All
You are invited to join us on Sunday, March 31 for our first-ever Unified Wiffle Ball Tournament with Special Olympics of Minnesota. Special Olympic athletes will team up with baseball players from local high schools including Waconia, Chaska, Holy Family, New Prague, Prior Lake, New Prague, Benilde St. Margaret's, and more!
The event is free and open to the public. Join us at Life Time Sport - Winterpark to cheer on all athletes.
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Are You a Thrivent Member?
The Blizzard Foundation is now enrolled in Thrivent Choice® and is listed in the
Thrivent Choice online catalog
.
Thrivent Choice is a member-advised program that allows eligible members to recommend where Thrivent distributes part of its charitable outreach funds each year. When eligible Thrivent members direct Choice Dollars® to your organization in a particular month, Thrivent reviews the recommendation and makes an electronic deposit in your organization's bank account by the 10th of the following month.
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Bowling Lanes Still Available
Join us for a great time on Sunday, April 28th for Al Newman's Bowling for Baseball Tournament
at
Shakopee Bowl
. All funds raised will help families around Minnesota access the game of baseball. Line
up an entire team for a lane or sign up as a single or couple and we'll assign you to a team.
Will Newman be able to drop 10 pins for $10,000 with a single ball? Join us and find out. Sign up now for a day of fun and fundraising!
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We Need Your Gloves! Look for the Official Buckets Around Town
The Blizzard Foundation has teamed up with Team Tucker in hopes of bringing baseball to 500 kids in 2019. We're off to a great start; this month alone more than 200 students, Kindergarten to 5th Grade, participated in Tucker's Sandlots throughout the Hopkins area. The Blizzard Foundation paired baseball players from Maranatha Christian Academy (Brooklyn Park), West Lutheran High School (Plymouth), and Benilde St. Margaret's (St. Louis Park) to help run these sandlots.
Tucker's Sandlots powered by the Blizzard Foundation will continue throughout the summer months, and we need your help to make that happen. To ensure all participants have a glove of their own so they can continue playing the game well after the sandlots end, the Blizzard Foundation is collecting new and used kid-sized baseball gloves.
How can you help? First, we are looking for locations throughout the community to place and rotate these glove collection buckets on a monthly basis. Community or civic centers, schools, religious organizations and most businesses are perfect collection sites. If you can host a bucket or if you know of a good location, please contact
Blizzard Foundation's executive director, Jeff Huth at
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Meet Our Newest Interns
The Blizzard Foundation is excited to welcome our newest interns from University of Northwestern - St. Paul.
Tori Hoehne is a junior at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul and is studying public relations. She was born and raised in Appleton, WI and loves her home state. Most of her time is spent in the classroom or doing homework but when she isn't busy at school you can find her exploring the cities, sitting at a coffee shop, or hanging out with her seven other roommates. She is looking forward to working with The Blizzard Foundation and helping to make a positive impact on her community.
Seth Johnson is a Junior at the University of Northwestern - St. Paul where he studies Public Relations and Communications. He is driven to pursue public relations because of his passion of people and the impact strong relationships have left on him. He was a part of and a student leader in his cities Young Life organization. Growing up in Camarillo, California, Johnson pursued friendships and relationships through sports, namely baseball. His father held free baseball clinics for kids in the community, and Seth assisted coaching. Through this, Johnson saw that he could spread love and build community throughout his city with his passion: sports.
Seth and Tori will work as a team to cover all PR needs for the Blizzard Foundation for the upcoming months.
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Gone Fishin' for a Good Cause
Al Lohman al.lohman@ecm-inc.com
You might be passionate about ice fishing, but 24 hours straight?
That's what Cory Glieden did on Lake Waconia one Friday earlier this month - he ice fished around the clock. The goal was to catch as many fish as possible in a 24-hour period to raise money for the Blizzard Foundation.
Glieden is actually more passionate about baseball than ice fishing and the aim of the Blizzard Foundation is to provide kids the opportunity to learn life lessons through the game of baseball. The organization holds youth baseball camps that are free to all kids, helps pay for baseball lessons and fees for players who can't afford it, and stages baseball games that are more easily accessible to the handicapped and disabled - unlike a larger venue like Target Field. The organization also has a community service arm that connects players with volunteer opportunities throughout the Twin Cities.
Community service and learning projects, coupled with baseball as a vehicle to "teach and instill rich life lessons," empower youth and young adults with the tools they need to become good citizens and future leaders, according to organization founder Adam Barta.
Glieden, who played in two college world series while attending Mankato State, is an intern with The Blizzard Foundation. A 2008 Chaska High School graduate now living in Eden Prairie, Glieden also coached baseball with Augustana College.
The idea behind the overnight fishing outing, he said, was to get supporters to donate anywhere from a penny to $100 to the foundation for every fish Glieden caught.
During the 24-hour period he hooked - and released - 116 fish that reeled in about $5,500 in donations.
Sunfish were biting early in the day, Glieden said. A muskie also visited the hole. Glieden could see it through the cold, clear water, but it never latched on. Overnight, crappies were biting, which surprised him and helped pass the time, he said.
Glieden fished largely by himself, but welcomed a few visitors to the family ice house that was rolled out about 200 yards offshore from In Towne Marina.
"That really helped keep me awake," he said.
Glieden also was joined online via a live feed on Periscope by viewers from as far away as Russia and Japan.
"Some didn't know what ice fishing was and posted questions like why are you doing it," Glieden said.
When they found out, a few even made donations themselves.
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Keep Playing Baseball - California Friends of the Blizzard Foundation
Keep Playing Baseball ("KPB") is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in memory of Scott Heinig, a former D1 pitcher and high school coach who passed away in 2011. Scott was passionate about helping players have the opportunity to play college baseball and Keep Playing Baseball continues his effort on a national scale.
KPB provides accurate player-to-player information and advice on the college baseball search and recruiting process at no cost to players and families. All the information we provide comes from those who know the college game best-a network of current and former college coaches and players who have contributed their insight and knowledge without compensation because they want to help the next generation of college baseball recruits succeed. Last year, our web resources reached just under 75,000 people across all 50 states.
Central to our work at KPB is the belief that baseball can act as a vehicle to higher education and better life outcomes. We aim to make the path to college baseball more accessible to all players, and don't think cost should prohibit any high school player from receiving the information and help they need to pursue college baseball opportunities and make educated decisions about their future. Above all else, our mission at KPB is to give every high school baseball player the knowledge and resources needed to play college baseball, succeed as a collegiate student-athlete, and earn a degree.
Facebook:
Keep Playing Baseball
I
nstagram: @keepplayingbaseball
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Visit our Facebook
A quick and easy way to help out. Like our page and share our latest post.
Speaking Engagements
Need a speaker at your next Rotary meeting or Chamber event? The Blizzard Foundation frequently visits these gatherings to share the work and vision of the foundation with the community.
Reach Out
It is our goal to impact as many families as possible. If you or someone you know may be in need of support from the Blizzard Foundation, please connect them with director, Jeff Huth at
Jeff.Huth@theblizzardfoundation.org
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Upcoming Dates
March 31st
Blizzard Foundation partners with Special Olympics Minnesota for the first ever Unified Wiffle Ball Tournament
April 28th
Al Newman's Bowling for Baseball Tournament. All proceeds of this tournament go towards helping families access the game of baseball across Minnesota.
August 12th
The Fourth Annual Johnny Price IV Memorial Golf Tournament will take place Monday, August 12th at Legends Golf Club.
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The Blizzard Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
EIN: 81-2968738
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