Case Studies
St. Louis Cardinals

SPP is Instrumental in the Creation of a Unique Youth Baseball League in St. Louis.


The Challenge:
The St. Louis Cardinals and the Cardinals Care, the team’s foundation, was interested in creating a streamlined, targeted community program that would ultimately have a greater impact on the children of St. Louis.


The Solution:
After a six-month evaluation of Cardinals Care, SPP recommended that the foundation implement a program to meet these goals - the program that eventually became Redbird Rookies. Founded in 2004, Redbird Rookies is a baseball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. This unique league provides kids with uniforms, gloves, bats, balls, and other equipment, as well as extensive off-field support in the areas of education, the arts, mentoring, and health.

Central to the vision of Redbird Rookies program is the notion of instructional play - keeping score and winning are secondary to the life lessons that can be learned as part of a team on the ball field. Redbird Rookies works to instill the values of teamwork, integrity, self-esteem and leadership in the "classroom" of a baseball setting.

The Impact:

From 2004 through 2006, Redbird Rookies provided bats, balls, gloves, uniforms and other equipment needed for more than 7,000 boys and girls from 15 different neighborhoods throughout the St. Louis area, allowing them to play baseball. The fact that participation in the program has increased each year – from roughly 2,000 kids in 2004, to 2,500 in 2005 and 2,800 in 2006 – is a testament to the popularity and reach of this program.



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