St. Marys – The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum and Nothers proudly announced today the release the first in a continuing series – The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Collectible Baseball Award.  The trophy will feature a unique Canadian Hall of Famer annually, and is available to every baseball organization across Canada.

The inaugural award, available for the 2011 season with orders placed by March 1, proudly displays an autographed picture of Fergie Jenkins – Canada’s greatest all-time pitcher. The award stands over seven inches tall and is bold in its pride of Canada.  The maple leaf and has been incorporated to represent the love of the game and recognize the strong history of Canadian baseball.

The Ball Hall, located in picturesque St Marys Ontario, has partnered with Nothers Signs & Recognition, which is based 30 minutes away in London, in this beautiful way of honouring the spirit of the game and its Canadian heritage.

A portion of the proceeds from each $8.95 award will be directed towards funding the participation of at-risk boys and girls in the Hall's KIDS ON DECK summer camp program.  Last year, more than 200 youths participated in the week-long camps held in July, and were instructed by icons Kelly Gruber, Tony Fernandez, Robbie Alomar, and Team Canada.  The focus of the KOD program, targeted for kids aged nine to 15, is on baseball FUNdamentals, as well as using baseball as a medium to promote social justice, cultural awareness to boys and girls, baseball and softball players, beginners as well as the well-skilled.

Jenkins, the Chatham, Ontario native who won 284 games in the major leagues and struck out more than 3,000 hitters, has long been a supporter of the KOD program.

"The Hall has done a fantastic job honouring Canadiana and operating its magnificent 32-acre complex," said Jenkins, whose mother's family came to Canada via the Underground Railroad. 

"The camps for kids are a natural extension of the education and promotion of the game to Canadians.  The boys and girls learn baseball, swim, attend a Blue Jays game, and have all kinds of fun - it's just a fantastic opportunity.  But I'm most proud at how well the KOD program breaks down perceived barriers such as race, religion, gender and language.  It is much easier to get them to embrace differences in their youth than to try to uproot intolerance in adults."

ST. MARYS – 20 January 2011

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