PBATS Minor League Athletic Trainers Donate Portion of Salary to Baseball Assistance Team

ATLANTA - PBATS today announced that the One-Day Charity fundraiser has officially raised $30,202 in order to benefit Major League Baseball's Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.).

The PBATS One-Day Charity is an annual fundraiser, coordinated and executed by the Minor League Medical Coordinators. Since 2012, this fundraiser led by Committee Chair Jeff Collins (Athletics), along with Paul Buchheit (Red Sox), Mike Herbst (Mets), Geoff Hostetter (Angels) and Mark Stubblefield (Umpires) has raised more than $60,000 for multiple charitable organizations.

Each winter, the PBATS members vote on a charitable organization that they feel would be beneficial and meaningful to fundraise for. Then, all Minor League Athletic Trainers contribute the equivalent of one day's meal money during Spring Training to help support the elected charitable organization. In the past, PBATS has raised money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital (2013) and the Wounded Warrior Project (2014).

"As the committee chair of the PBATS One-Day Charity, I want to say thank you to each and every person that took the time to participate this year.  Having the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) as the recipient of this year's donation just makes sense.  B.A.T. has been committed to helping members of the Baseball Family since 1986 and through charitable contributions, like the PBATS One-Day Charity, they've been able to provide individuals with medical, financial or psychological assistance when they're in need.  In essence, I feel that we're all paying it forward as one day any of us could potentially need a helping hand," said Committee Chair Jeff Collins.

Collins added, "The success of the PBATS One-Day Charity is a direct reflection upon our commitment and hard work and everyone who participated should all feel a deep sense of pride knowing that they were part of something this special.  The PBATS One-Day Charity is only in its third year and it has grown so much in that short amount of time that we're all excited about watching it grow in the coming years as we continue to help others in need."

The PBATS One-Day Charity, although initially started as a way for Minor League Coordinators to fundraise for organizations in need, is not limited to Minor League Athletic Trainers. Instead, PBATS hopes that contributions will continue to come from all those interested in raising money for organizations in need, potentially including front office personnel, clubhouse staff members, coaches and players as well.

About PBATS: PBATS mission is to serve as an educational resource for the Major League and Minor League Baseball athletic trainers. PBATS serves its members by providing for the continued education of the athletic trainer as it relates to the profession, helping to improve their understanding of sports medicine so as to better promote the health of his constituency?professional baseball players. PBATS also serves as a resource to educate those outside the professional baseball athletic trainer community about the profession and about the athletic trainer's integral position within the sports medicine team. For more information, please visit www.pbats.com.

# # #