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Community Impact Report 2024

DEAR TRASH PANDA NATION,

With a great 4th season behind us celebrating Trash Pandas Baseball, we also celebrated the third year of the Rocket City Trash Pandas Foundation.

This Community Impact Report features the outreach, support, and funding provided by the Rocket City Trash Pandas and the Trash Pandas Foundation. In 2024 we were able to donate over $104,000 in cash donations and $66,500 in-kind donations to various Non-Profit organizations to help support the North Alabama community.

A special thank you to all our partners and fans for your continued support. We look forward to expanding our outreach efforts and making an even bigger impact in 2025!

Warmest Regards,

The Rocket City Trash Pandas Foundation

MISSION STATEMENT

The Trash Pandas Foundation is a 501c3 organization dedicated to educating and promoting healthy lifestyles through sport and to positively impact communities in the North Alabama region.

The Foundation was officially established in 2022.

Tax ID: 86-1762336

$104,444 cash donations made

Over 700 tickets donated

200 staff volunteer hours

Over 240 mascot appearances

Community Impact Report 2024

For the 3rd consecutive season, the Foundation hosted Trash Pandas partners and fans for the Meet the Team Dinner. Each table featured 1-2 players/coaches and fans had the opportunity to dine and get to know the team off the field. The event also featured a delicious buffet dinner, team Manager Andy Schatzley previewing the 2024 season, followed by a Q & A with players.

New for 2024 was our Color the Can contest! Kids ages 3 to 12 were invited to submit a fun and creative design for the first ever Cash Can. The Cash Can is a 6-foot trash can, which acts as a donation bank for the Foundation. The top 10 submissions were featured on Tennessee Valley Living with the public being able to vote online. The winner received their drawing re-created on the can and was displayed for the season on the concourse.

*Submissions for the 2025 season are now being accepted! Visit trashpandasfoundation.com to learn more

Six different times throughout the season players took the field in specialty theme jerseys which were then autographed and auctioned off. Over $30,500 was donated to local non-profits to support their programming needs.

Star Wars- Reach and Teach

$6,631.25 was donated to help support the costs of their unique Concert Tour program which is provided 100% free to all enrolled students. This provides the opportunity for high school students to gain experience and learn business, marketing, and entrepreneurship concepts by planning, promoting and executing a real concert on school campus.

Marvel- Alzheimer's Association

Proceeds from this auction are benefitting the Association’s annual spring fundraiser The Longest Day. As the day with the lightest, the $4,339 donation will help fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s and provide support and care to over 96,000 Alabamians living with the disease.

Friends Night- Miracle League of North Alabama

The Miracle League is a baseball league for individuals (ages 4 through 68) with special needs. Everyone, regardless of ability, deserves the chance to play baseball and all eligible players can participate free of charge. The $6,611,60 donated to the organization will help with facility improvements and allow the program to continue to impact those in our community.

Space Night- Rose of Sharon Soup Kitchen

The mission of Rose of Sharon is to use their ministry to help support the physical and spiritual needs of those in underprivileged areas or are dealing with homelessness. With their “Dining with Dignity” service, Rose of Sharon prepared and served over 36,217 hot meals in 2023. The funds raised from the jersey auction this past year will allow this program to continue at no cost. A total of $6,221.50 was donated.

Tuxedo Jersey-Wellstone Inc

Proceeds from the Tuxedo auction will help support Wellstone’s Sensory Inclusive Santa event. This event seeks to bring the magic of Christmas to children and families that live with sensory sensitivities every single day. The $3,166.50 donated will help create a special experience for kids without becoming overwhelmed by lights and other sensory stimuli, and a judgement free zone

Huntsville Stars Throwback- Land Trust of North Alabama

The Land Trust of North Alabama is a staple in our community as they preserve our scenic, historic, and ecological resources through conservation, advocacy, recreation and education. The $3,532.50 raised from the auction will allow them to continue to protect and maintain over 10,000 acres and 80 miles of recreation trails for public use.

In a rare and unique circumstance due to unplayable field conditions in Mississippi, the Braves and Trash Pandas played a five-game series in four days at Toyota Field between June 13-16. The Braves were the home team while the Trash Pandas were the visitors on their home field. Ticket proceeds benefited the foundation, and all reserved seats were $10. A total of $39,173 was raised from the series. This money helped support the scholarship program, food bank donations, and will help support field renovations and future grant donation programs.

Between two sessions in June, Trash Pandas and Angels players including Eric Wagman, Sam Brown, Houston Harding, Ben Gobbel, Gustavo Campero, Tyler Payne, Victor Mederos and Arol Vera taught children ages 7-10 baseball fundamentals and skills on the field at Toyota Field before a Trash Panda game

Over 100 campers learned the fundamentals of hitting, pitching, fielding, and baserunning from the players. All children went home with new skills, autographs, photos, and memories to last a lifetime.

Waggin' Wednesdays!

Every Wednesday game fans were invited to bring their four-legged friends to the park for our dog day. For a $1 donation to an animal-related nonprofit, dogs were allowed entry, and all proceeds went back to the non-profit of the night.

With the help of our friends at Tito’s, the Foundation was able to donate an additional $2,500 to each organization that participated. This will greatly help support vet bills, food costs, and overall care for the rescue animals

Organizations for 2024 included Friends of Rescue, Greater Huntsville Humane Society, and Rocket City Rescue

During the season, the Trash Pandas Foundation hosted two Community Clubhouse Sales which offered a variety of autographed and game used memorabilia to fans in a garage sale fashion. Items included mystery baseballs, autographed team cards, broken bats, batting practice gear, and limited edition specialty jerseys. A total of $11,900 was raised for the Foundation.

The Trash Pandas are proud to support local organizations and fundraisers through our donation program. Anyone hosting a fundraiser is eligible to apply for tickets, autographed memorabilia, and other Trash Panda swag to help raise funds for their fundraising event.

Over $12,500 in-kind memorabilia donations were made to local fundraisers in 2024

Throughout the season, organizations had the opportunity to set up space on the main concourse and be featured live on the videoboard where they were given the opportunity to promote their cause, recruit volunteers and raise awareness.

In 2024, 36 organizations participated, bringing a total in-kind value of $36,000 donated

To continue our impact and change lives in our community, this off season we started the Road to Recovery campaign. With the purchase of a Trash Pandas road alternate or pinstripe jersey, 100% of proceeds were donated to local organizations dedicated to help those in recovery.

This ongoing campaign is benefitting Downtown Rescue Mission, Princess Hailey's Hope Foundation, and Not One More Alabama and to date has raised over $3500.

New for 2024, The Trash Pandas Foundation celebrated its first annual scholarship awards, presenting three $2,000 scholarships to outstanding local high school seniors from the Greater Tennessee Valley Region. These scholarships are aimed at students pursuing further education in trade schools, junior colleges, or four-year universities.

This year's scholarship recipients: McKia Bolding (Career Academies of Decatur); Maja Sullivan (James Clemens High School); Mary Louise Gore (Westminster Christian Academy

This off season the Trash Pandas Foundation was proud to play a small part in helping fight the local food crisis that is happening in our community. A total of $4,900 was donated to Manna House, One Generation Away, and Food Bank of North Alabama to allow them to continue their efforts of fighting the shortage. Funds donated will allow them to purchase and provide meals and other necessities for those affected by the food crisis.

One home game a month fans were asked to bring various items for our different collection drives we. Hundreds of items were donated to the following organizations

Diaper/Baby Items- One Generation Away
Beanies and Blankets- Clearview Cancer Institute
Pet Supplies- Cattyshack Inc
School Supplies- Free2Teach
Toys-Walker Child Advocacy Center

Kicking off the ’24 holiday season, the Foundation hosted the 3rd annual Breakfast with Santa. This sold out event featured a delicious breakfast buffet with crafts and story time for the kids, and special appearances made by Anna from Frozen, Bluey, Sprocket and of course Santa and his elves!

Volunteers at Toyota Field

NPO’s had the opportunity to fundraise for their organization during games by volunteering in our concession stands. Each volunteer in attendance was paid by the hour with that money directly benefitting the organization. A total of $52,044 was raised through our concessions program.

Thank you to all of our 2024 volunteers:

305 8th Street
Athens Women's Resource Center
Bob Jones
Grace United Methodist Church
James Clemens
Kappa Epsilon Psi Military Sorority, Inc
Madison Academy
NEMCEC
St. John Paul II Catholic High School
Temple Lodge #98
Westminster Christian Academy Cheerleading

Community Impact Report 2024

In addition to Trash Pandas Games, Sprocket loves spending his time in the community making appearances

Highlights include the Huntsville Havoc games, local community parades, school visits, little league opening ceremonies, and even delivering special Panda-Gram Valentine’s

To date, over 240 visits have been made in 2024 totaling $18,000 of in kind donations

In 2024, the Trash Pandas Foundation started the first ever Reading with Sprocket program. The program was designed to inspire and motivate local students in the North Alabama area while stressing the importance of reading. Each participant received their very own exclusive Trash Pandas bookmark and folder and a visit from Sprocket himself to kick off the program. Those that completed the program also received a ticket to a Trash Pandas game.

We were able to reach close to 2,000 students in the North Alabama community and are excited to grow even more in the 24-25 school year!

Throughout the season Trash Pandas players had the opportunity to make visits within the North Alabama community. Also, back for the 2024 season was the Angels Real Life Friday Program where the team traveled to different organizations to not only get an understanding of the history of these locations, but to expose players to life outside of baseball.

2024 highlights include a visit to the Miracle League of North Alabama, Highlands Elementary school, Space and Rocket Center, Negro League Museum, Legacy Museum, and Redstone Arsenal

To inspire participation in baseball and softball activities and encourage local youth to get outside, the Trash Pandas held the 3rd annual “PLAYBALL WEEKEND” event.

All 30 MLB and 120 MiLB Clubs held various baseball related activities between June 14th- June 16th

This year, our front office staff took a trip to the Miracle League of North Alabama and volunteered to help facilitate games between their teams

In addition to the long hours worked during baseball season, our front office staff contributed 200 hours of community service outside the workday to help support our community.

Highlights include our newly established Adopt a Mile program, local festivals and parades such as Depot days and Madison Street Festival, and handing out meals at Manna House

Community Impact Report 2024

Because of our charitable efforts and impact in 2024, a combined cash and in-kind total of $170,944 was donated to the North Alabama community.

As our Foundation continues to grow, the money we continue to raise will help us focus on community initiatives and progamming in the North Alabama community such as education and healthy living.

Things to look forward to in 2025 include Foundation event fundraisers, community grants and scholarships, field renovations and more!

We once again thank you, our loyal partners and fans for an incredible 2024 season. If you would like to find upcoming Foundation programming or look for ways to get involved, please visit trashpandasfoundation.com.

We look forward to welcoming you back to Toyota Field on April 4th, 2025!

Welcome

rocket city TRash pandas foundation

2024 At a Glance

Meet the Team Dinner

Color the Can

Jersey Auctions

Jersey Auction Recipients

Pop Up Series

Youth Instructional Camp

Dog Days

Community Clubhouse Sale

charitable giving

Community Spotlight

Road to Recovery

Scholarship Program

Food Bank Donations

Collection Drives

Breakfast with Santa

Non-Profit concessions fundraising

Sprocket Sightings

Reading with Sprocket

Player Appearances/Real Life Fridays

MLB PLAYBALL Weekend

Volunteering

Looking Ahead

Thank You!