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Salem Avalanche To Hold Toys For Tots And Hokie Nation Night On Sunday |
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EverythingNRV
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The Salem Avalanche, Advanced Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, will be hosting Christmas in September at Lewis-Gale Medical Center Field at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium on Sunday. In addition, it will also be Hokie Nation Night at the stadium.
Fans can receive a free General Admission ticket to the 6:07 game in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy. All toys collected will be given to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation for distribution to needy children in our community at Christmas time.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to help people that need our support during the holiday season,” said John Katz, Avalanche VP / General Manager. “The Marines have been leading this effort for more than a half-century, and we’re honored to work with them to help bring joy to children in need.”
Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. The idea came from Bill’s wife, Diane. In the fall of 1947, Diane handcrafted a Raggedy Ann doll and asked Bill to deliver the doll to an organization which would give it to a needy child at Christmas. When Bill determined that no agency existed, Diane told Bill that he should start one. He did. The 1947 pilot project was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted Toys for Tots in 1948 and expanded it into a nationwide campaign.
Over the 59 years of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, Marines have distributed more than 370 million toys to more than 173 million needy children. This charitable endeavor has made U.S. Marines the unchallenged leaders in looking after needy children at Christmas.
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Sunday’s game also marks the return of Hokie Nation Night, a celebration of spirit for the Virginia Tech community. All Virginia Tech students, faculty and support staff will be admitted to Sunday Night’s game free of charge upon presentation of a valid Virginia Tech ID card. All members of the community may also show up wearing Tech caps or clothing to receive $1-off Box and Reserved seat tickets. Post-game Fireworks will follow the ballgame between the Lynchburg HillCats and the Salem Avalanche, and fans are sure to enjoy an appearance from the Hokie Bird. For tickets or more information, please call the Avalanche at 540-389-3333.
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