BANDIT SCHOLARS WINNERS ANNOUNCED SUNDAY

DAVENPORT, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits announced the two scholarship winners for the Bandit Scholars program during Sunday’s game at Modern Woodmen Park. Bandits owner Dave Heller presented oversized checks symbolizing full cost-of-college scholarships to rising juniors Lane DeVore at St. Ambrose University and Dana Baele at Augustana College. The scholarships will help cover the full cost of college for the 2017-2018 academic year.

The one-of-a-kind Bandit Scholars program is the single largest college scholarship program in all of Minor League Baseball, encompassing more than 200 teams. It has been a staple of the Quad Cities River Bandits since 2009, when it was founded by Heller. The program has evolved to cover the cost of rising juniors’ tuition at two institutions in the River Bandits backyard, Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois and St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

“Giving out these scholarships is my single favorite thing I get to do as owner of the River Bandits,” said Heller. “We had many tremendous candidates this year and the selection process was extremely difficult. Dana and Lane epitomize what we value most at the River Bandits: a tireless passion to give back and support the Quad Cities community. We’re honored to reward them with these scholarships as they continue their higher education right here in the Quad Cities."

DeVore is a Muscatine native and currently plays football for the St. Ambrose Bees. A political science major, he is involved in the ROTC program at St. Ambrose and is working towards a military career after college. He also holds an executive position with the Young Republicans Club and this summer has been working with the River Bandits as a member of the Street Team.

Baele is a native of Annawan, Illinois and attended Annawan High School where she was a member of the cross country team. During her time at Augustana, Baele has been extremely involved in charitable efforts of the school and giving back to the local community. She’s currently working with Camp Kesem, a national organization that supports kids through and beyond their parent’s cancer. Baele has goals of becoming a teacher after graduation and educating the future leaders of the Quad Cities community.

The scholarships are funded entirely through donations and fundraising efforts by the River Bandits. The Bandits raise money throughout the year with events such as the ‘Race to Home’ 5K, the team’s annual golf outing and 50-50 raffles during River Bandits’ home games. The scholarships are open to current rising juniors who reside in any of the following counties: Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside Counties on the Illinois side, and Cedar, Muscatine and Scott Counties on the Iowa side. For more information on the Bandit Scholars program or to make a donation, contact Director of Community Relations Crystal Bowen at (563) 333-2736 or email crystal@riverbandits.com

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ABOUT THE BANDITS: The 2017 season marks the River Bandits’ fifth year as the Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and the tenth anniversary season of regaining the River Bandits moniker, which was voted a top-8 nickname in all of Minor League Baseball in 2015. The River Bandits anchor the Quad Cities sports market, which The Sports Business Journal named the top minor league sports market in the country in its most recent rankings. Each year the River Bandits donate two annual all-tuition-paid college scholarships, a value of more than $70,000, as part of the Bandit Scholars program, which has been in place since 2009. The team’s charitable donations exceeded $300,000 in 2016, including a $50,000 cash donation to Genesis Health Systems for the third consecutive season; in 2015, Ballpark Digest awarded the Bandits its “Best Charity Campaign” of the year. In 2016, Main Street Baseball was named Ballpark Digest’s Organization of the Year. For more information on the Quad Cities River Bandits, visit www.riverbandits.com or contact Jake Levy at (563) 505-7592