Fundraiser Hits One out of the Park
APA members and their baseball-loving president were taken out to a ballgame during APA's 2006 annual meeting in Toronto in May. The occasion was a double play: not only did members and their guests get to see a competitive match-up between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but also part of the purchase price of their tickets went toward the team's CAN $3,400 donation to the American Psychiatric Foundation.
APA President and baseball lover Steven Sharfstein, M.D., had nothing on Blue Jays starting pitcher Josh Towers when Sharfstein threw out the first ball in the club's game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on May 24. The game was a fundraiser for the American Psychiatric Foundation.
Toronto Blue Jays
The idea for the APA–Blue Jays fund-raising collaboration began when Harry Einbinder of the Blue Jays organization approached Michele Werner, the foundation's development director. The foundation agreed to handle all of the promotion through Psychiatric News and mailers to annual meeting attendees, and a ticket booth was set up during the meeting at the Toronto Convention Centre. Baseball caps bearing the American Psychiatric Foundation's logo were made available to all APA ticket holders.
Altha J. Stewart, M.D. (left), president of the American Psychiatric Foundation, and Michele Werner, director of development for the American Psychiatric Foundation, hold a ceremonial check presented by a Blue Jays' third-base coach on center field before the Toronto Blue Jays–Tampa Bay Devil Rays game on May 24. Almost 500 game tickets were purchased, increasing the final amount of the Blue Jays' donation to CAN $3,400.
Toronto Blue Jays
“This event was a major hit with attendees, and we are exploring a similar collaboration with the Padres for next year's annual meeting in San Diego,” said Werner. “We received much favorable feedback and interest and look forward to future events that are both entertaining and support the foundation's philanthropic mission.”
The evening's only disappointment was that the Blue Jays lost to the Devil Rays, 10-8 ▪.
