"Building a generation of character for today and tomorrow." 
Newsletter - April 2019

New Name - Same Mission

The renaming of a small and successful non-profit organization traditionally doesn't send strong emotions and excitement through the lives of young athletes, but Johnny Price IV was far from your traditional young person. A stand-out baseball player, Price was even more well known for being an incredible teammate and person than he was as a top-ranked college baseball recruit out of Minnesota.
 
"Our foundation's heartbeat, mission, and vision will stay exactly the same as we change our name," said Jeff Huth, Executive Director of the JP4 Foundation. "Life enrichment and development for young people stays at the forefront, and baseball continues to be a vehicle we use to carry out our efforts."
 
Since the foundation's onset, over 500 families have been helped to access baseball, baseball players have performed more than 2,500 hours of community service, and nine scholarships have been granted to students to help defray the cost of college. 
 

Al Newman's Bowling for Baseball Tournament

"If I didn't have people helping me play baseball growing up - I never would have had the opportunity to play in the Bigs." Two Time World Series Champ, Al Newman continued, "This is the reason I am drawn to be an advocate for the JP4 Foundation. I believe in enriching the lives of our youth through this great game [baseball]."

Al Newman's Bowling for Baseball
Tournament was held at Shakopee Bow l and was well catered and staffed thanks to owners Julie and Dave. The event opened up with a lunch and social hour, and then all bowlers were greeted with a welcome from Al Newman himself. The highlight of the day was the opportunity for Al to roll a $10,000 strike to benefit the JP4 Foundation.

Jim Lundeen, owner of Killebrew Root Beer, quickly stepped up to the plate when asked to sponsor the event. His sponsorship included enough Killebrew Root Beer for the tournament to drink and a large pledge helping us get to the $10,000 strike.

In addition to Killebrew Root Beer, Twin Cities Orthopedics also answered the call to  sponsor the event. Troy Simonson (CEO) and Heather Lang (VP of Marketing) have been strong supporters from the onset and continue to be highly valued partners in helping us carry out our mission.

So as the bowlers stopped, and FOX 9 started rolling camera... Al stepped up to the plate to take his shot for $10,000
 
 
Even after coming up a bit short, Twin Cities Orthopedics and Killebrew Root Beer still honored their pledge and helped write a check to the JP4 Foundation for $10,000.
 



JP4 Foundation hosts the 4th Annual Johnny Price IV Memorial  Golf Tournament

Our signature event of the year just doubled in size. The JP4 Foundation will be expanding the Johnny Price IV Memorial Golf Tournament to a two-shotgun tournament. The morning round will start with an 8AM shotgun, followed by a common lunch for all golfers at 1PM, and then the afternoon round at 2PM. 
 
This event is sure to sell out. There are many options for corporate sponsorships available. Use this as an opportunity to support the JP4 Foundation while getting your company exposed to over 280 golfers. Whether through your marketing budget or business charitable giving, your sponsorships and signage will get double the visibility with our two-round event.

Twin Cities Orthopedics set to donate $444 for every Eagle made up to $20,000!
 


Are You a Thrivent Member?

The JP4 Foundation is now enrolled in Thrivent Choice® and is listed in the  Thrivent Choice online catalog .

Thrivent Choice is a member-advised program that allows eligible members to recommend where Thrivent distributes part of its charitable outreach funds each year. When eligible Thrivent members direct Choice Dollars® to your organization in a particular month, Thrivent reviews the recommendation and makes an electronic deposit in your organization's bank account by the 10th of the following month.

We Need Your Gloves! Look for the Official Buckets Around Town

The JP4 Foundation has teamed up with Team Tucker in hopes of bringing baseball to 500 kids in 2019. We're off to a great start; this spring alone more than 275 students, Kindergarten to 5th Grade, participated in Tucker's Sandlots throughout the Hopkins area. The JP4 Foundation paired baseball players from Maranatha Christian Academy (Brooklyn Park), West Lutheran High School (Plymouth), and Benilde St. Margaret's (St. Louis Park) to help run these sandlots.
 
Tucker's Sandlots powered by the JP4 Foundation will continue throughout the summer months, and we need your help to make that happen. To ensure all participants have a glove of their own so they can continue playing the game well after the sandlots end, the JP4 Foundation is collecting new and used kid-sized baseball gloves.
 
How can you help? First, we are looking for locations throughout the community to place and rotate these glove collection buckets on a monthly basis. Community or civic centers, schools, religious organizations and most businesses are perfect collection sites. If you can host a bucket or if you know of a good location, please contact  JP4 Foundation's executive director, Jeff Huth at 


Keep Playing Baseball - California Friends of the JP4 Foundation

Keep Playing Baseball ("KPB") is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in memory of Scott Heinig, a former D1 pitcher and high school coach who passed away in 2011. Scott was passionate about helping players have the opportunity to play college baseball and Keep Playing Baseball continues his effort on a national scale. 

KPB provides accurate player-to-player information and advice on the college baseball search and recruiting process at no cost to players and families. All the information we provide comes from those who know the college game best-a network of current and former college coaches and players who have contributed their insight and knowledge without compensation because they want to help the next generation of college baseball recruits succeed. Last year, our web resources reached just under 75,000 people across all 50 states.

T o learn more about our work, watch  this short video , visit us at  www.KeepPlayingBaseball.org  or follow us on social media.

Twitter: @KeepplayingBB
Facebook: Keep Playing Baseball
I nstagram: @keepplayingbaseball

Looking to Help?

Visit our Facebook 
A quick and easy way to help out. Like our page and share our latest post. 

Speaking Engagements
Need a speaker at your next Rotary meeting or Chamber event? The JP4 Foundation frequently visits these gatherings to share the work and vision of the foundation with the community.

Reach Out
It is our goal to impact as many families as possible. If you or someone you know may be in need of support from the JP4 Foundation, please connect them with director, Jeff Huth at  Jeff.Huth@JP4Foundation.org


Upcoming Dates
June 1st
Summer financial aid deadline. Visit JP4foundation.org/apply-for-assistance/ for details.

August 12th
4th Annual Johnny Price IV Memorial Golf Tournament will take place Monday, August 12th at Legends Golf Club.

null