C I V I C I N V O LV E M E N T
Scottsdale Charros are still running the bases In February, the Charros will help celebrate 50 years of Major League Baseball spring training in Scottsdale. On Feb. 7 at Chaparral Suites, at a luncheon hosted by Joe Garagiola Sr., players and coaches from the five teams that have made Scottsdale their training home over the years will reminisce about spending spring here. The Scottsdale Charros have been a part of all that since the civic group’s formation in 1961. And the Charros’ spring training Lodge at Scottsdale Stadium is still a big element of the group’s annual fundraising effort. It was the early 1950s when businessmen formed the Scottsdale Baseball Club. They convinced the Orioles to come to town for spring training. They built the original Scottsdale Stadium. Since then, the Red Sox, the Cubs, the Oakland A’s and the Giants have taken turns training in Scottsdale. The Charros took over many spring training activities in 1964. They got involved in promoting the training and in persuading people “to spend their money in Scottsdale,” says Jeff Meyer, a former Charros Patron (president). A new brick stadium was built in 1991-92. That stadium houses the Charro Lodge out in right field. The Charros raise money by selling banners at the stadium, hosting VIP parties and bringing in outside
18
TRENDS MAGAZINE
vendors. The money goes to a wide range of programs dealing with youth in education and children’s charities. Among the Charro Foundation’s efforts are the Master’s in Education Fellowship, which provides funds to working teachers to help advance their education, and the Future Teacher Scholarship program, awarding scholarships to teachers-to-be. On the sports side, the Charros host a youth baseball clinic, the All-City Athletic Awards
and a steroid awareness program to educate kids about the dangers of performance enhancing drugs. For information about the spring training luncheon coming up in February, call Leslie Nyquist at the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce at 480.949.2174. To contact the Charro Foundation office, call 480.990.2977.