Reds Community Fund -

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities

RBI presented by KPMG is one of many Major League Baseball initiatives dedicated to enhancing youth participation and interest in baseball and softball. Specifically, RBI is designed to promote interest in the sport and encourage kids to stay in school. Major League Baseball's RBI program ("Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities") provides more than 120,000 kids in more than 200 cities the chance to play organized baseball. The 20-year old program has grown to feature regional and world series tournaments for junior and senior boys baseball as well as girls softball.

Locally, the Reds Community Fund supports a spring RBI league that features seven junior high teams, in an effort to return baseball to the junior high level throughout Cincinnati Public Schools and N. Kentucky Public Schools. The program also features summer teams in various age groups, taking some of the top talent in the inner-cities of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and allowing them to compete with some of the top, suburban select teams in the region.

In 2010, Cincinnati will play host to the RBI East Regional tournament at various locations throughout Greater Cincinnati from July 23-26. The East Regional finals will be held at Great American Ball Park with the regional champions moving on to play in the RBI World Series in Jupiter Florida. In partnership with the local KPMG accounting firm this year's program promises to add a more robust experience in the classroom, teaching ethics and financing as well as the giving back to the community through community service.

For more information on this program please contact Jason Maidenberg at jmaidenberg@reds.com or (513) 765-7020.