ARLINGTON, Texas, July 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kids and
families in North Texas will soon
have more opportunity for learning and play. The Texas Rangers
and Toyota, the Official Truck Sponsor of the Texas Rangers, have
announced an additional partnership that will greatly enhance the
experience and programs at the new Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy
at Mercy Street Sports Complex.
Toyota has made a one million
dollar commitment to the West
Dallas facility, which will be called the Texas Rangers MLB
Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex presented by Toyota.
Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre also will make major financial
contributions to the project.
In addition, Toyota will work closely with the Texas Rangers
Foundation to implement programs that support the youth and
families that will utilize the Academy. These programs are expected
to include literacy, STEM-focused and curriculum initiatives as
well as other career exploration opportunities.
"Since Toyota's founding more than 80 years ago, our company has
been committed to improving the communities where we do business.
It's part of what we call "The Toyota Way," said Jim Lentz, chief executive officer, Toyota Motor
North America. "As part of our commitment to our new home in
North Texas, we've already
established several partnerships that make a positive impact on the
lives of others, and that's why Toyota's investing 1-Million dollars to partner with the Rangers and
to provide new opportunities for the kids and families of
West Dallas."
Toyota employees are also expected to have significant volunteer
participation in the activities at the Academy as part of the
company's strong commitment to community.
"The Texas Rangers cannot thank Toyota enough for their generous
and significant partnership with our new Youth Academy," said
Neil Leibman, chairman of the Texas
Rangers Baseball Foundation and chairman of the Rangers Ownership
Committee. "The Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy will benefit so
many youngsters in so many ways. We look forward to working with
Toyota in helping to make dreams come true."
Toyota's branding at the Academy will include signage on the
exterior and interior areas of the facility as well as the
scoreboards and dugouts on the five fields.
The Texas Rangers and Toyota entered into a multi-year
partnership in April, which included Toyota's official truck
sponsorship as well as the branding and naming rights for 12 of the
Rangers' parking lots adjacent to Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Outfielder Josh Hamilton has made
a financial contribution to the Academy project that will result in
the naming rights to one of the fields. The Josh Hambone Hamilton
Field will be used for youth baseball and softball league play and
instruction. The infield of the field is turf and the outfield is
natural grass. The dugouts will feature Rangers Red Brick and the seating structures will be
shaded and seat approximately 200.
Third baseman Adrian Beltre's
financial contribution will go towards the cost of building the
full turf major league size indoor infield that will be a featured
part of the Youth Academy building. Beltre's uniform number "29"
will be inscribed in the grass turf of that infield.
The Rangers, Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, Major League
Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and
Dallas-based Mercy St. are
partnering to build the new state-of-the-art facility, which will
provide free (or reduced cost) and year-round opportunities for
North Texas youth, on the 17-acre
site at the intersection of Hampton and Bickers. When totally
completed, the facility will include five fields and an Academy
building.
Construction is slated to be completed on the project that is
south of Bickers by October 1. The
site north of Bickers that features the Academy building and Oates
Field, presented by Papa John's will be completed by the spring of
2017. The architect for the project is Sterling Barnett Little, Inc. of Arlington, Texas, and the general contractor
is the Skiles Group of Richardson,
Texas.
The Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy will be available to
children throughout North Texas,
especially the more than 8,000 kids who live within the
West Dallas neighborhood and youth
from the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area. In addition to
providing year-round baseball and softball instruction and play,
including hosting tournaments, coaching clinics and skills camps,
the Academy will provide youth with access to tutoring programs,
college prep classes, college and career fairs, financial literacy
and internship programs, courses teaching math through the use of
baseball statistics, and MLB industry alternative career
workshops.
Youth also will have opportunities to be involved in drug
resistance and gang-prevention programs and healthy lifestyle
classes. Additionally, all Academy members and other
community youth benefit from Academy facilities and programs
through baseball vocational programming, such as umpiring seminars,
athletic field management, scouting and player development, sports
information training, and athletic sports training.
The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation will employ staff to
oversee the Academy, and will work with Mercy Street and their existing
programming. The Operations of the Academy will be covered
entirely by the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, which also will
provide equipment, supplies, utilities and other operating
costs.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top
automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle,
is committed to advancing mobility through our Toyota and Lexus
brands. Over the past 50 years, we've produced more than 30
million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the
U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000
in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in
the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.5
million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota
vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road
today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive
know-how to support non-profits expand their ability to help more
people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Contact: Rangers
Communications
817-273-5203
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