UMPS CARE Charities Opens Its Season by Making the Right Call for Children

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - April 8, 2009) - UMPS CARE Charities, the non-profit organization formed and supported by all 68 Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires in 2006, officially opens its "charitable" season today when four umpires make their first hospital visit of the season to Boston Children's Hospital.

During the MLB season, umpires will make a dozen hospital visits in Boston (4/8 at Boston Children's Hospital), Cincinnati (5/7 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital), Tampa (5/19 at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital), Philadelphia (5/26 at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), Cleveland (5/27 at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital), Washington (6/3 at Children's National Medical Center), Baltimore (6/10 at Johns Hopkins Children's Center), Oakland (6/23 at Oakland @ Oakland Children's Hospital), Los Angeles (7/2 at Children's Hospital of Orange County), Chicago (8/12 at Comer Children's Hospital), St. Louis (9/2 at St. Louis Children's Hospital) and Milwaukee (9/8 at Children's Hospital of Milwaukee).

UMPS CARE Charities enriches the lives of at-risk youth and children coping with serious illness by providing memorable sports experiences, supporting pediatric medical care, and raising the awareness of foster care children waiting to be adopted working in partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation. The organization has two signature programs: BLUE for Kids children's hospital program and BLUE Crew Tickets.

The BLUE for Kids program brings a crew of MLB umpires to the bedside of children with life-threatening illnesses. Umpires host Build-A-Bear Workshop® experiences for the sole purpose of putting a smile on the face of a child. In the past three years, the umpires have hosted 29 events distributing more than 2,500 Build-A-Bears to children.

BLUE Crew Tickets benefits children in foster care awaiting adoption and children in mentoring programs. Each BLUE Crew Tickets experience includes free tickets, a goody bag of treats, and a unique opportunity to step onto the Big League field for a souvenir baseball and photo. Through the end of the 2008 baseball season, umpires provided more than 2,500 baseball experiences for children of The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

To learn more about UMPS CARE Charities, visit www.UmpsCare.com.

MLB Umpire and UMPS CARE Charities Board Member Jim Reynolds talks about UMPS CARE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFMNFgpD54U

Contact Information: Contact: Jackie Reau Game Day Communications (513) 929-4263