Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to Throw Out First Pitch at Badges for Baseball Day with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Appleton

APPLETON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will participate at the Badges for Baseball Day in Appleton and will throw out the first pitch at the Timber Rattlers game.

Wednesday, August 3 at the Fox Cities Stadium

2400 N.Casaloma Drive, Appleton, WI.

Pregame program begins at approximately 11:20 a.m.

Badges for Baseball provides opportunities for at-risk youth to work with law enforcement mentors; using the game of baseball. Now in its third year in Wisconsin, Badges for Baseball will operate at a total of eleven site locations across Wisconsin this year. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and the Wisconsin Department of Justice have provided a two-year grant (2011 – 2012) of $270,000 and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation will provide no less than $100,000 of support annually to help sustain and continue expanding the program throughout the state.

Badges for Baseball was created by The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice. It is a simple concept: pair cops and kids together to play and learn. The program reshapes the relationship between law enforcement and kids living in communities across the country. In 2010, the Foundation served over 15,000 young people from 11 states in the program. More information on the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation can be found at: http://www.ripkenfoundation.org/.

Among the attendees at the Appleton game will be 200 children from the following groups:

- Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley (Appleton and Kaukauna)

- Youth Go (Neenah/Menasha)

- Menominee Tribe

- COA – Goldin Center (Milwaukee)