TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME—JOIN THE WINNERS

Photo Above:  The Children Are Our Future Parade Against Child Abuse a few years ago at San Manuel Stadium.

An event to celebrate Child Abuse Prevention Month. A resource fair, parade and baseball game at the San Manuel Stadium

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. –  This is not your usual 66ers game being held on Tuesday, April 19 at the San Manuel Stadium located at 280 S. E Street in San Bernardino.  Beginning at 6:00 p.m., attendees can visit the Resource Fair with more than 30 children’s arts and crafts activities, including a wood project led by Home Depot employees.  April is Child Abuse Prevention month so educational materials will also be available.  At 6:15 p.m., all children are invited to join the Parade Against Child Abuse around the inside of the baseball field.  Game time begins at 7:05 p.m. as the Inland Empire 66ers take on the High Desert Mavericks. All the festivities are part of the Fourth Annual Children Are Our Future event organized by local nonprofit Children’s Fund.

The 20 winners of the Children are our Future Art Contest will each receive 10 tickets to the game and will lead the parade with 66ers mascot, Bernie. Two grand prize winners, Delaney Castillo, 9, of San Bernardino and Lidia Briseno, 10, of Highland will throw out the first pitches of the game, and will receive hot dogs, sodas and popcorn for their entire party.  The 18 runner-up winners will receive gift bags filled with fun prizes.  All art entries, which answer the question “What will you work hard to be when you grow up?” will be displayed during the game at the art gallery near third base.

“Our art contest gives the children of our community an opportunity to dream about the future,” states Children’s Fund President & CEO, Stacy Iverson. “It is amazing to see the goals the children have set for themselves—from becoming a police officer, chef, firefighter, to a poet, artist and teacher. Their creativity inspires me, and they ARE our future.”

Tickets to attend the Inland Empire 66ers baseball game and the Children Are Our Future event begin at $7 and can be purchased at San Manual Stadium. San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales donated 1,000 tickets to Children and Family Services which will ensure that foster youth and their foster families will be able to attend the event.

The idea for creating the Children Are Our Future event originated a few years ago when several family-strengthening agencies were all celebrating Child Abuse Prevention Month in April in multiple, different and fragmented ways.  Several agencies collaborated the following year to create the Children Are Our Future event to bring awareness to Child Abuse Prevention.

This year, the Children Are Our Future event committee consists of representatives from Autism Society Inland Empire, Building A Generation, CASA-San Bernardino County, Child Care Resource Center, Children and Family Services, Children’s Fund, Children’s Network, FIRST 5 San Bernardino, Inland Empire 66ers, Inland Empire Family Resource Center Coalition, Safe Kids Inland Empire, San Bernardino County 211, and San Bernardino Teen Music Workshop.

Created in 1986, Children’s Fund is a nonprofit whose mission is giving our vulnerable children support, opportunity and hope by breaking destructive cycles through community partnerships. Since its inception, Children’s Fund has served more than 1.4 million children and assisted children over 78,000 times last year alone. For more information on Children’s Fund, the Children Are Our Future event, or to make a donation, go to www.childrensfundonline.org or call 909.379.0000.