“Jocks vs Joes” –Braves Annual Holiday BaseBowl Bash
By Braves Give
For the 5th year in a row, we continued our commitment of honoring local military families with our annual Holiday BaseBowl Bash. Over 100 servicemen and women along with their families were invited to participate in an afternoon of bowling, games, food and fun at Midtown Bowl on December 6.
Braves pitcher David Hale, pitching Coach Roger McDowell, Braves Alumni Marty Perez, Jim Nash, Johnny Estrada and Greg McMichael were there to spend some quality time with the families, sign autographs, and spread holiday cheer.
We kicked off the party with a special check presentation to five deserving military-supportive charities. Throughout the 2014 season, five Braves home games were dedicated to honoring the various branches of the military. The Braves players wore their red military appreciation jerseys during each of those games and their jerseys were then auctioned online to benefit the following charities: Wounded Warrior Project, BraveHeart: Welcome Back Veterans Southeast Initiative, United Military Care, SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center, and the USO. With the support from Braves Country, we were able to raise more than $27,000 for these groups!
Much to our surprise, the Atlanta Braves Foundation received a special recognition award our support from the USO President & CEO, Mary Lou Austin and Chairman General Tom Wessels.
After the formalities, bowling commenced and the fun began! Prizes were awarded to the top overall male and female scores. A special drawing was held for five lucky military members to bowl against five Braves in a “Jocks vs. Joes” bowling contest . It was a very close game, but this year, the Jocks escaped with the win!
This event was a success due in large part to the Braves front office staff and the Braves 400 Club members who volunteered and helped distribute goodie bags and various prizes that were awarded throughout the afternoon.
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We love hosting this event each year because it allows us to thank the military service men and women, and their families, for all of their sacrifice and dedication to our great country.
The families were appreciative and thankful for the opportunity to participate. A special thanks goes out to Midtown Bowl for hosting us again this year as well as to our Braves fans for the continued support of the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Braves Foundation, and the support of our military.
Happy Holidays from our Braves Family to yours!
